Our Why.

On August 15, 2014, I touched down in Portland, Oregon, kicking off a new chapter in my life. Like millions of other young adults across the country, I had arrived to embark on the transformative journey of college—a journey filled with excitement, discovery, and inevitable challenges that would shape us all.

College is a time of profound change. Students leave behind familiar comforts to navigate an exhilarating yet daunting path of growth and self-discovery. This time brings a mix of excitement, nerves, and vast new opportunities. But amid the whirlwind of experiences, many students find themselves facing health concerns and grappling with a healthcare system that can feel inaccessible and complicated. While many universities offer high-quality health services, the process of navigating these resources is often anything but straightforward.

Students find themselves redirected from office to office. Critical information is hidden in outdated websites, leaving students frustrated and uninformed. Long waits at health centers discourage students from seeking support, and figuring out off-campus specialists can be overwhelming, especially when trying to understand insurance coverage and eligibility. For a seasoned patient, this can be challenging; for a first-year student navigating it alone, it’s downright intimidating.

Let’s take a closer look at the issues:

The Visibility Problem in Student Healthcare

Today’s students lead highly digital lives, yet many university health centers still rely on outdated communication methods, resulting in a lack of visibility around critical resources. Information is scattered across multiple pages and platforms, making it difficult for students to find and access the services they need.

The Routing Problem

Even when students know about available services, they face the added challenge of knowing what steps to take next. Healthcare is complex and navigating it should not be an additional burden.

Here’s Where We Step In

Rather than overwhelm students with a convoluted website, we customize Volta for each university, highlighting the specific resources they want to make accessible. Students can explore counseling, medical, wellness, pharmacy, and care services—all in one place and accessible on their phones.

The transition to college is hard enough without navigating healthcare alone. The current system of complexity and confusion needs to change. Students deserve a trusted advocate to consolidate resources and guide them to the right care when they need it most. Volta is here to bridge that gap and make student healthcare visible, accessible, and supportive.

- Tsikata Apenyo