Fall 2022 Reflection from Menstrual Health Researcher Arina

Hello! My name is Arina Kucinskaja, and I am a first-year biomedical engineering major. I joined the Wish for Wash Menstrual Health and Bioplastics team this semester, Fall 2022.

When I first applied to join Engineering Without Borders, I was intrigued by the idea that this club connects the Engineering and Sustainability disciplines. In my preliminary stage of research about the club, it seemed as if it was mostly for people majoring in Environmental Engineering.

However, as I started to read more about the different programs offered, I realized that Engineering Without Borders emphasizes the importance of medical health and accessibility in addition to sustainability. When I learned that our sub-team was still in the research stage, I decided to specifically join this team since I wanted to be there from the beginning.

As a member of Menstrual Health and Bioplastics, I learned about the immense impact of public policy and how it affects production in individual countries. Moreover, it was interesting to combine knowledge about public policy related to the production of menstrual products with the scientific side explaining possible solutions for materials that would promote sustainability. Working with my team was an amazing experience.

A general Wish for Wash activity that I enjoyed was the design jam and how it encouraged critical thinking. Additionally, some beneficial skills that I
gained as a team member included problem solving and analytical skills. Moreover, I expanded my team-working skills and was exposed to the idea of creating guidance for a project which was different from classroom experiences where guidance was always given. — Arina