Meet Our Team

Chantel is a nursing student at Central Oregon Community College.  After many years of working within  a holistic healthcare clinic and experiencing the joy that comes with healing, she decided to become a nurse. As a Pilates instructor, she has enjoyed assisting others in the quest for better health, fitness, and overall wellness.  Providing education to others so that they may be empowered to help themselves is where she finds the greatest reward.  She hopes to bring her nursing skills and passion for teaching to under-served regions where healthcare resources are scarce or absent.

Eric has been living in and exploring Oregon for the past thirteen years after moving here from Colorado.  With a passion for the mountains and traveling, Eric found Bend the perfect place to call home.  After traveling to various impoverished parts of the world and witnessing first hand the desperate need for health educators and health care personnel, he made the decision to go back to school and become a nurse.  He wants to help make a difference in the lives of others.  By becoming a nurse Eric feels he, "could bridge my inherent desire to help people with an actual ability to do so, both within my community and abroad.  The desire to spend time volunteering for organizations providing medical services abroad is what makes this trip to the Dominican Republic so special, this is what I set out to accomplish."


Jason grew up in a small rural Oregon town and never saw himself as having a passport.  However, in his early 20’s, Jason took a trip to England and was hooked on traveling and experiencing different cultures.  In the intervening years, Jason has traveled as a freelance photographer to more than twelve countries and published a photographic journal of some of his favorite places. After a 20-year career in sales and service, Jason decided to make a major change.  After completing his EMT-B in 2010, Jason realized he wanted to do more and began the journey to become an RN.  His passion is to travel the world both as a freelance photographer and RN.  By volunteering on this medical mission to Dominican Republic in July 2013, he can put both his photography and medical skills to good use.


Jessie is a wife and mother of two. She currently works on the Ortho/Neuro Unit at St. Charles. Jessie has spent most of the last 15 years in restaurant and bar management. She very excited to start her career as an RN. Having a life long love for travel, she sees her newly acquired nursing skills as an opportunity to help people and see the world.


Kris is a first year nursing student born and raised out side of Portland.  Kris graduated from the University of Oregon with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Business Administration. He moved to Bend after graduating college and spent the last few years working in banking. When not filling his brain with material for his next test, Kris enjoys fly-fishing, camping, backpacking and various other athletics and outdoors activities. When asked why he joined COSMO, Kris said, "I jumped at the opportunity to be a part of this trip for various reasons. The main reasons being, I thought it would be a good way to gain experience using the skills I have learned in my first year of nursing school. Also, I knew it would be a great way for me to travel and to help people in need in the Dominican Republic and Haiti."

Lindsi is a 2nd year nursing student at COCC graduating in June. She has worked as a Medical Assistant in our community for 8 years in Family Practice and General Surgery. She enjoys every bit of her job in healthcare and wanted to become a nurse to expand her ability to care for others.   Lindsi is a single mother of a very outgoing, lovable, 11 year old son and parenting is an important part of her life.  Through her many adversities in life she continues to challenge herself and is very passionate about her goals. She enjoys the outdoors, teaching, and working with others.  Providing care for individuals who need it the most has always been a goal and dream of hers and this trip to the Dominican Republic is just a start to her journey as an RN.  As a volunteer, she hopes to make long lasting impressions, memories and opportunities for those she will be serving as well as herself.

Matt grew up in Delaware and studied Finance at the University of Delaware. After graduation, he decided to move to Bend, OR. Here in Oregon, Matt changed his career focus to help others and decided to go back to school and become an RN. Matt is currently in the second year of the COCC Nursing program and will be graduating in June. Matt currently works as a Certified Nursing Assistant on the Medical floor at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend. Looking for a way to give back, Matt joined up with Central Oregon Student Medical Outreach to help those in need of healthcare around the world.  Matt serves as the current COCC Nursing Club Vice President.

Who is that good looking man in this picture?
He is a lifesaver, a Purple Heart recipient, a Bronze Star recipient, a selfless man, a nursing student, and an all around awesome guy! Noah was a Combat Medic in the 173rd Airborne Infantry where he was deployed to Afghanistan twice and received several medals for his selfless actions during combat.  Noah believes in helping out and giving to the less fortunate, so when he heard that his fellow nursing students were forming a trip to the Dominican Republic, he was in.