Upstate Medical Student Kathleen Isles Receives The Surprise of Her Life

Kathleen Isles is a medical student at Upstate in Syracuse and she participated in a video contest hosted by Welch Allyn and Heart to Heart International. She was born and raised in Skaneateles and her inspiration to work in the medical field stems from being a childhood cancer survivor, which is a point she touched on in her video. Well, Kathleen got the surprise of a lifetime during class!

The point of "The Ripple Effect" contest, which is the one she submitted the video for is an awesome project. According to the Welch Allyn website,

The Ripple Effect is an initiative to help inspire medical students to change the world by giving back to their communities. Sponsored by Welch Allyn in conjunction with Heart to Heart International, the program consists of two elements: an annual contest for an all-expense-paid humanitarian service trip with Heart to Heart International and an initiative that facilitates the deployment of Welch Allyn medical equipment by Heart to Heart to underserved areas of the world.

Check Out Kathleen's "Ripple Effect" Video

The big surprise for Kathleen came when the CEOs from both Welch Allyn and Heart to Heart International dropped by one of her classes to let her know she was going to Haiti for a service project and that she had won! She was one of four.

News Channel 9's Rachel Polansky reported on this story.