Lawrence High School graduate Sara Hatfield joined 80 other New Jersey students at the 27th Annual Operation Smile International Student Leadership Conference July 16-21 in Seattle, Washington.
Operation Smile is an international medical charity that provides free surgeries for children and young adults in developing countries who are born with cleft lip, cleft palate or other facial deformities. Lawrence High School has its own chapter of the organization.
For her third ISLC, Hatfield took on a more active role in the conference. She served as a team leader to 20 of her peers during the conference. “I’m excited to see it from a new perspective,” Hatfield said prior to the conference. “As a team leader, I want to inspire younger students through what I have learned and experienced with Operation Smile.”
Hatfield was one of more than 300 students from across the globe, including China, Vietnam, Ireland, Panama, South Africa and Canada to learn how to advocate for children born with a cleft lip, cleft palate or other facial deformity. During the conference, students learned about global health, joined in peer-to-peer leadership training and participated in service projects to benefit Operation Smile patients, as well as staff at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
Hatfield’s earliest memory of learning about Operation Smile was when the high school club came to speak to her third-grade class. She ended up joining the club when she got to Lawrence High School. She took an active role in Operation Smile’s student programs including going on a medical mission to Paraguay.
“Students get to grow as leaders and receive hands-on experience through Operation Smile’s student programs, which makes the organization so unique” said Hatfield.
