College of Health Sciences Award Recipients

SERVICE aWARD

Jean T. Baumgardner, H Sci '09
Seattle

Jean has a passion for service and social justice that she cultivated in her time as an undergraduate at Marquette.

“My experiences at Marquette instilled within me a sense of social justice, faith, service and compassion that framed the lens through which I view the world and the way I seek to live out a life of service,” Jean says.

In Jean’s work as a family nurse practitioner for International Community Health Services in Seattle, she serves an immigrant and refugee population from Southeast Asia, the Middle East and the horn of Africa.

“I love working with this patient population,” she says. “I’m constantly inspired by their stories and their resilience.”

After graduating, Jean spent a year volunteering with Passionist Volunteers International in Talanga, Honduras, where she and her colleagues started the Comedor Infantil Talanga, a meal program and community center for impoverished children.

She also founded The Solidarity Project, a nonprofit organization that supports Honduran leaders who create positive social change for their communities.

“For me, success means living life in a meaningful, just and loving manner that centers on improving oneself and one’s community while caring for all people, especially those who live in great need,” she says.