New Haircut :-D

My emotional facebook post

So June 3, 2013 I will be saying a temporary goodbye to New Orleans.  I've been selected by Dr. Martin at the University of San Diego to participate in the MHIRT program at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana!!!  For the few people that I told, thank you for your prayers.  Not only is the trip all expenses paid, but I'm getting paid to go!!  Someone told me once how I'm stupid and that I will never go to medical school.  This is the first slap of many that I will personally deliver to that person over the next few years. :-*  I'm just a girl from Petal, I never dreamed that I would be going to research in Africa during my undergrad years of college!!  God is good!! 

Finals Week at Xavier

Cake!!

From my BFF Tayler Loyd!!! Thank You!!!

Yesterday my life changed...

I can not say enough how excited I am!!  With lots of faith, determination and prayer I'm going!! I've never had a blog, and never thought of making one until my BFF Tayler Loyd suggested it for friends and family back home.  This is my first visit to Africa, and a HUGE thanks to my Xavier Father Dr. Kenneth Boutte Sr. and Dr. Estralita Martin from San Diego State University for this opportunity.  

My research topic is: The use of Ethnobotany to Treat Diabetes.  We will be gathering the supplies and equipment needed to perform organic chemistry studies in some remote location.  Extracting critical elements from these plants and using silica gel chromatography, alkaloid detection, and HPLC methodology to do so.  

The research lab is at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana.  I will be living in a gated house about a mile away from the University.  I do have a roommate that is a student at The University of San Diego the only thing that I know about her is that her name is Nadine.  I plan to keep all of you updated at least 3 times a week maybe more if I have time and resources.