Human beings have a creative side that tends to shine most when we are truly invested in the world around us. Describe a situation when you responded effectively to a particular need and found yourself at your creative best. (400 words)


When I was in Honduras on a medical brigade with a service organization, I was entrusted with running the pharmacy and distributing basic medications to patients after they visited the doctor. Although this may seem like a trivial task, I had to unpack, count, and sort hundreds of bottles of medications and other medical supplies, operating in a tiny room so that I could access any item requested within seconds. What made the situation even more difficult was that each specific medication was provided in bottles with different doses, with different quantities, and some were labeled in Spanish. My high school level knowledge of the language only got me so far, not only with deciphering the meaning of the medicines and supplies labeled in Spanish, but also in communicating with the patients who spoke no English at all.  


When I was finally able to sort and organize the medicines and supplies in a somewhat efficient way, I next had to tackle the problem of effectively distributing what the doctors prescribed - that is after I deciphered what they were writing. Our supplies were limited, and everyone wanted as much as possible, even if it was just vitamins or sunglasses. This was difficult because I had to work with a team of doctors to allocate specific medications, as the doctors needed to know how much of each medication was left. I had to be creative with resource allocation and trust my business-based instincts. Before the patients arrived in the morning, my partner, [name], and I would pre-package the most popular medications and set them in rows so we would be prepared for the rush of excited Hondurans arriving at the pharmacy during peak hours. This efficiency allowed the doctors to see more patients, as the line in the pharmacy had significantly decreased.


When the crowd of people arrived, there was barely any time to think as [name] and I did everything we could to keep up. During these weeks, I not only learned more about the world, but more about myself and how I work in a high pressure and high stakes environment, coming up with creative ways to solve problems while still working and not falling behind. The creativity I used allowed me to do everything I had to in order to help people to the best of my ability.          


Word count: 397