Way to go! Brooke Stevens

Brooke Stevens missed her high school's homecoming festivities this weekend for a good reason.

Stevens, a senior at Eastport-South Manor High School, traveled to Ecuador last week for an eight-day medical mission coordinated by Blanca's House, a Hicksville-based nonprofit comprised of health-care professionals who provide free medical treatment to individuals in underprivileged countries.

She went on a similar six-day trip last year to El Salvador, where she worked as one of three junior volunteers handling tasks such as documenting surgical details and writing postoperative orders. Before that trip, she collected five bags of school supplies at her high school and brought them with her to the region.

"It surprised me to see the amount of poverty and how dangerous it is," said Stevens, 17, who heard of the opportunity through her mother, Janet, a nurse on the medical missions. "Children there don't have a lot and are so grateful for everything we bring. It opened my eyes to how much we have."

At school, Stevens is secretary of the senior class and a member of the National Honor Society, World Language Honor Society, Natural Helpers Club, and the tennis and track teams.