"I grew up in Milwaukee, where inequities are stark and obvious.

My parents are both in helping professions, and their work with underserved communities has exposed me to a lot of talk about politics and the social context of the world in my home environment. I learned early on that societal factors affect the opportunities people have to lead healthy lives.

In college, I studied health sciences and was headed toward a career in occupational therapy, but I eventually gravitated towards public health because I found it really nurtured my passion for social justice.

I’m very interested in youth and adolescent populations. We spend a lot of time educating youth on why NOT to use drugs, for instance. But we could do better at promoting healthy behavior, specifically through positive youth development programs. That emphasis on intervention is one of the reasons I chose the Community Health Promotion MPH program. I’m also interested in mental health in general. Everyone needs to have skills to achieve or maintain good mental health.”