My clinical day at New Albany Primary was extremely fun. I attended an Entrepreneur Fest hosted by 3rd graders at New Albany Schools. Students developed and marketed small businesses by selling items like 3D-printed Croc charms or running activity booths like Plinko. Each class throughout the school visited the booths using pre-purchased tickets, creating a fun, school-wide marketplace functioning on donations. The event raised over $25,000, all donated to various charities chosen by the school. Beyond fundraising, this initiative taught children the foundations of creativity, business, and emphasized social interactions.

On a separate day, we volunteered at the NNEMAP Food Pantry in Columbus. We assisted in stocking shelves, packing grocery bags, and preparing for distribution. Families received pre-packed bags containing fruit, drinks, dairy, pasta, protein, and vegetables. The pantry also offers a delivery service for families without transportation, many of whom are part of Columbus’ growing immigrant population. The food pantry focuses on serving underprivileged families facing food insecurity as a whole offering additional services such as where to find health care, addiction care, pregnancy services, etc. in various areas in the community.

At the pantry, we were met with diverse cultural backgrounds and language barriers. Despite this, you could sense such a feeling of community support. The school event also reflected cultural diversity through the creativity and charity choices students made, some supporting global causes, others focusing on local needs.

Related Sustainable Development Goals. These two experiences connected with several SDGs:

• SDG 1: No Poverty: By raising money for charities and supporting food-insecure families, both settings worked toward reducing poverty.
• SDG 2: Zero Hunger: The food pantry directly addresses hunger and nutrition needs in the community.
• SDG 4: Quality Education: The Entrepreneur Fest helped encourage experiential learning and skill-building in youth.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: Both experiences supported underserved populations, whether through access to food or opportunities for all students to participate and contribute.

One key takeaway was seeing how even third graders can be social innovators. Their entrepreneurial spirit not only raised a significant donation but also reinforced how education can shape socially conscious leaders. At a young age they get to experience innovating an idea, bringing it to life, marketing it, and then selling it. At the pantry, I was moved by how much of the community is served and thoughtful the distribution system was, especially the delivery service, which showed a commitment to equity and access for all.

During my community health clinical at New Albany Primary School, I observed an example of a positive reinforcement initiative where students earn tokens for getting “caught” displaying good behavior. These tokens can be redeemed at a book vending machine creating an engaging and creative way to promote literacy and positive behavior. The primary population served at the primary school is roughly ages 5-10 serving primary grades K-3.

Students earn coins for doing good deeds that they can use to redeem brand new books that they can take home with them!

The sustainable growth goal that I would like to focus on would be good health and well-being which directly connects to this clinical experience. This also connects to goal #4 of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.  The school’s initiative to reward positive behavior and support literacy ties into promoting mental well-being, emotional growth, and creating a supportive environment that nurtures students’ development both academically and socially. My biggest “aha moment” was seeing a non-traditional strategy, like a book vending machine, and the huge impact it can make on a student behavior and motivation.