PRCA Graduate Cares For Women in Remote Areas of Costa Rica and Nicaragua

Three years of travel and experiencing different cultures led Pusch Ridge Christian Academy Alumni, Shaida Molloy, into the study of medicine and women’s health along with caring for mothers and their children in the remote landscape of Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

 

After living in Tucson, Arizona all during high school and college, Shaida decided she wanted to experience culture and “see what else is out there.” This thought encouraged her to travel to eleven countries in the span of three years. It started with France, then Switzerland, then, as Shaida described, “it snowballed” into a long, life-changing journey. After trekking through various cities, she was enriched with culture and fascinated by the way people experienced life together. This passion for culture, paired with her life-long love for medicine, spurred her to join a program with nine other women who, together, cared for mothers and their children living in remote areas of Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

 

Even in Shaida’s high school years, she had a growing interest in medicine. She says, “Medicine is where I wanted to be.'' In her free time, she would volunteer at local Arizona hospitals and help out where it was needed.

 

Shaida Molloy recounts her high school years at Pusch Ridge Christian Academy fondly. Having a graduating class of 60 students allowed her to develop relationships with all of her fellow classmates. She described her class as “flowing together” well. After high school she began pre-medical schooling at the University of Arizona, confident that she wanted to become a doctor. At the University, she was met with a “culture shock.” She remembers her first college class started at eight in the morning and included over 400 students. For her, this was the biggest class she had ever taken part in. She didn’t particularly enjoy it. The large college culture was uncomfortable for Shaida. Later, she had an unfortunate encounter with a college counselor who suggested she choose a path other than medicine. She finished her studies and left the University of Arizona in 2007. She began working at a restaurant and bar. There she thrived in the social environment and got along well with the people she encountered.

Then, Shaida decided to experience travel. She says, “I was working to travel.” Everything she did was with the goal in mind of seeing all the world had to offer. She was submerged in new cultures and it stirred within her a desire to learn more, see more, and go farther out into the world. She recounts a memory of meeting people from all over the world at a popular surf location in Costa Rica. She met locals from Costa Rica, people from England, surfers from Australia. Every person she met fueled her growing curiosity.

 

After all the travel Shaida knew she still wanted to pursue a study of medicine and women’s health. This is what spurred her to join the program that helped women in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. She was also heartbroken by the statistics that showed the low survival rate of children in those remote places. Shaida felt the need to help.

 

After this transformative experience, Shaida went back to college, completed medical school, and began a full career in women’s health. She now works in Phoenix, Arizona, as a physician at Banner Medical Group. She works in integrative medicine, health and wellness during pregnancy, and patient advocacy. Shaida and her husband, who works as an anesthesiologist, are parents of two young children. One is a toddler and the other is a newborn.

 

Throughout the years, Shaida has learned so much about seeking the good, true, and beautiful moments in life. Through her work, home life, and experiences with her children, she is able to see growth in who she is. Her children have taught her to see life through a joyful lens.

 

As an adult looking back on her younger self, Shaida says she wants other young people to enjoy the seasons of life they are in. She remembers getting caught up in responsibilities and the tasks of daily life instead of being grateful for the moment. Instead, she encourages young people to trust the process and look to the future with excitement and not fear.