Senior lacrosse standout Kelly Finamore (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) spends her days at clinical and in the library and her nights leading her team on the field, a team that finished with an outstanding 12-3 record last season. Finamore’s distinguished lacrosse accolades include making the second team NEWLA all conference team, and serving as a captain for the last two years. She currently ranks fourth all time in goals (79), assists (31) and points (110), and still has an entire lacrosse season left to increase these numbers. She finished her junior season second on the team in scoring with 41 goals and second in assists with 18.

Between balancing the weight of a heavy course load and lacrosse, Finamore found time to give up two weeks this past summer to volunteer in Ghana to help the less fortunate residents of the country. She traveled there with teammate Carissa Kennedy with the organization International Volunteer Headquarters. The organization placed Finamore and others in a small village called Frankadua where they worked alongside nurses providing medical care to the community members at a clinic in the village. “I’ve always wanted to travel to a country far less fortunate than the United States”, says Finamore. “I wanted to experience life in surroundings completely opposite of what I am used to. Going to Ghana I not only experienced this, but hopefully made a difference while I was there”.

The planning process for the trip was a difficult one. She had to sign up a full year in advance and then spend the majority of the year fundraising for the trip. Kelly collected cans and wrote letters to family and friends looking for support for her endeavor. Completing all the necessary paperwork, getting a passport and visa, as well as all the appropriate immunizations made the planning process a tedious one, one that was well worth it in the end.

Upon arriving in Ghana, Kelly was set up in a volunteer house in Accra, the capital of Ghana. After receiving a brief orientation and overview of the culture of Ghana, she was transported to the village where she stayed with a host family for the two weeks she spent assisting in providing medical care for those who needed it. When asked about the most rewarding part of the experience Kelly said,” it was how appreciative everyone in Ghana was of our presence. The warmth and welcome that we received in our village was overwhelming. The people of Ghana are living with next to nothing, yet they never hesitated to give us the shirt of their backs. It made me realize how much we take for granted and to just appreciate what you have”.

Balancing athletics and academics isn’t an easy task for any student-athlete, especially a nursing major, and with lacrosse season on its way, Finamore looks to help continue her team’s dominance on the field while continuing to find success in the classroom. Having lost some key players, the Falcons look to combine their upper class leadership with the talent of their newcomers to have a successful season, with the ultimate goal of taking home a MASCAC title.