Meet our Ambassadors

Community Health Promotion MPH

Hi! My name is Anika Reinsch, I’m a second year graduate student in the School of Public Health Community Health Promotion program. I’m studying Public Health because of the wide array of opportunities it offers. I choose the CHP program for its focus in working with various diverse populations and programing aimed at improving the health of a community as a whole!

Maternal and Child Health MPH

I’m originally from St. Louis, MO and went to undergrad at Indiana University where I majored in biology. My interests in public health surround early childhood development and promoting child-rearing environments where infants and young children can develop on healthy trajectories. I’m studying public health because the field on centers on creating positive change in our communities.

Public Health Administration and Policy MPH

I am a licensed mental health therapist in both Nebraska and Minnesota. I hold a B.A. and a M.A. in political science from the University of Nebraska and an M.S.Ed. in clinical and mental health counseling from the University of Nebraska-Kearney. I am studying public health because I want to advocate for individuals who do not have access to mental healthcare in rural areas throughout the United States.

Public Health Administration and Policy MPH

My name is Amira Eromosele. I was born and raised in Saint Paul, MN. I’ve always been interested in Public Health and minored in it in my undergrad. I am interested in global health and health equity. I am heavily interested and hope to work abroad in the future.

Epidemiology MPH

Hi! My name is Meghan Sickel and I recently graduated from Luther College in May with a Bachelor’s in Biology and Anthropology. During my free time, I love to run, paint, explore Minnesota, do puzzles, and travel! My passion for public health stemmed from my deep interest in infectious diseases, which especially grew after attending a talk by Dr. Michael Osterholm back in 2017. Studying infectious disease Epidemiology is exciting to me- the idea of figuring out where and how an outbreak began is like putting together a puzzle.

Community Health Promotion MPH

I’m Tara, and I’m a student in the Community Health Promotion program at the School of Public Health. I grew up in southeastern Pennsylvania and got my bachelor’s degree from Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts. I’ve lived in Minnesota and worked at UMN since 2014 (and recently moved across the river from Minneapolis to St. Paul!). I’m interested in college student health and learning how to build programs and advocate for policies to support the needs of campus communities.

Epidemiology MPH

My name is Rebecca Kraetz and I am a second year in the Epi MPH program. I am originally from Milwaukee WI and went to Saint Louis University for my undergrad. I am interested in working with infectious disease and STIs in the future. I think public health is probably the most important that it’s ever been in our country and world, and I want to help prevent people from getting sick.

Epidemiology MPH

Paige Richmond is a recent graduate from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. She will begin pursuing her Master of Public Health in Epidemiology at the University of Minnesota this fall. Her research interests include health equity, the epidemiology of substance use disorders, and the intersection of chronic and infectious disease. Paige is attracted to public health because of the ability to make an impact on the population through limitless areas of research.

Maternal and Child Health MPH

Hi, my name is Nicollette and I am a first year MCH student! I am interested in studying how structural racism impacts the sexual and reproductive health field as well as health disparities within the LGBTQIA+ community. I am studying public health because of the various health issues that are disproportionately impacting Black birthing people and their families. My hope is to better understand these issues in order to uplift my community and to also work towards increasing inclusivity within the maternal and child health field in regards to gender and sexuality.

Environmental Health PhD

I’ve been with SPH for over 5 years! I got my MPH in Environmental Health and transited into my PhD in the same division. My interests? Well that’s something I’m still working on 5 years down the line. I tend to follow the shiny object and haven’t had the discipline to stick with one thing which I feel is one of the many benefits of being in public health. Public health to me is something that goes beyond meeting the needs of others but is based off finding truths fueled by compassion. There’s simply is no other profession like this where your expertise can translate from one discipline to another so seamlessly.

Nutrition Coordinated MPH

My name is Nancy Jiang, and I’m a second year MPH/RDN student in the Public Health Nutrition Coordinated Master’s Program at The University of Minnesota School of Public Health. I was born and raised in sunny Long Beach, California, and graduated from The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a B.S. in Psychobiology. I am interested in public health nutrition because I have a strong desire to affect change on a greater scale–through nutrition programs and interventions, public health nutrition is a great platform to make a huge impact by promoting health and prevention of chronic illnesses at the community and population level. My career goal is working in school nutrition.

Epidemiology MPH

I’m from Boston originally, and went to college in NY state. I got into public health for the same reason as many of my peers – I wanted to help communities live healthier, happier lives. I’m particularly interested in ways data can be used to tackle health inequities.

Community Health Promotion MPH

Being a student-athlete in high school and college solidified a passion for competition and challenging myself to be better. As an incoming graduate student at the School of Public Health my interests include health equity and community health promotion. I chose to study public health so I can be a part of the new era of public health and better the lives of those around my community and the world.

Masters of Healthcare Administration

I was born and raised by Nigerian immigrants in the Chicagoland area, and decided to stay close to home for undergrad. I received my BS in Neuroscience from the University of Illinois at Chicago. During my time there, I became co-founder and president of the YO Scholarship Foundation. Now I am pursuing my MHA degree at UMN SPH because I want to broadly impact the healthcare system to improve quality and access for underserved and underrepresented communities.

Public Health Administration and Policy MPH

After graduating from college, I spent 6 years an addiction neuroscientist. Though I love basic research, I realized I wanted to more directly improve community health and to specifically confront systems of inequity. I’m pursuing my MPH to create and implement policy that reduces health disparities.

Masters of Healthcare Administration

I wanted to study public health because I have a desire to utilize an upstream approach towards bettering the overall health of the community. Classes in social determinants of health and clinical volunteer experience have helped me realize that everyone does not have equal access to quality healthcare. My hopes to contribute in developing innovative and more affordable methods of healthcare delivery is something that really excites me about studying public health.

4+1 Environmental Health MPH

I am a second year Environmental Health student in the 4+1 degree program. I am interested health and understanding how our environment impacts our health. I am studying public health because I like its all encompassing understanding of community health and wellness.

Environmental Health MPH

Howdy I am Laura Johns! I am a first year Environmental MPH student from Houston Texas. I am someone who loves new experiences, as you can tell by me going to gradschool thousands of miles from home. I love to travel and get out and do as much as I can. I am studying public health because I am truly passionate about it and hope to make a difference in the field and in my future career. I want to better the lives of those around me and I hope to do so by studying public health!

Masters of Healthcare Administration

I have a passion for serving my community, supporting people in their most vulnerable times, and minimizing health disparities. I plan to fulfill these desires throughout my career as a healthcare administrator by bolstering the efforts of frontline healthcare providers and removing barriers to their success. The Master of Healthcare Administration program provides opportunities for me to develop the knowledge and skills I need to bring this plan to fruition.

Maternal and Child Health

I am from Runnells, IA and I moved to Minnesota to purse a Maternal and Child MPH degree. I am interested in nutrition, reproductive justice, health equity, global health, and mental health. I studied Global Health for my undergrad and became interested in reproductive health which guided me to the field of public health. Additionally, I feel that my strengths, passions, and values best align with the efforts of public health.

Master of Healthcare Administration

My name is Ann Weston, and I am a second year student in the Master of Healthcare Administration program. I am a recent graduate of the University of Mississippi, better known as Ole Miss, and I love watching any Ole Miss sporting events, especially football and baseball. As a public policy student in college, I found myself drawn to topics in health policy, and through my thesis research, I had the opportunity to interview health care administrators across the state. In speaking with these administrators and public health professionals, I came to understand how much of an impact these leaders had in informing policy, advocating for the health of Mississippians, and bettering the health care system. After this experience, I came to understand that these were public health and health care administration interests, and that is how I found the MHA program at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

Master of Healthcare Administration

I pursued my undergraduate degree in Cell & Molecular biology at the University of Utah. While there, I was engaged as a volunteer in several community organizations such as Shriners Hospitals for Children, and realized my passion for creating healthcare access for populations of people. I was also engaged in Diabetes research, which helped me understand my interests in understanding how healthcare works. I chose to study public health, and specifically to come to the Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) program so that I can help align stakeholders in the care model, leading to greater access and less disparity for everyone.

Maternal and Child Health

I am a second-year MPH student on the Maternal and Child Health track! I’m extremely passionate about women’s reproductive and maternal health and health equity. I hope to one day continue my education by attending medical school and pursuing a career where I can utilize my public health background to improve outcomes and treatment for individual women as well as the population overall. I’ve lived in Minneapolis for the past 5 years, and enjoy being outdoors, exploring the city, and hanging out with my friends and my kitten.

Master of Healthcare Administration

Rooted in the suburbs of the Windy City, I attended Loyola University Chicago and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology. During my time as an undergraduate and presently, I work as a research intern at Lurie Children’s Hospital focusing on immunology, and I work part-time as a private SAT tutor. I’m excited to start my journey at the U as an MHA candidate. With a strong desire to help diverse communities at large, I believe the University of Minnesota School of Public Health will allow me to progress healthcare towards a patient and family-centered approach, regardless of insurance, location, and race. By learning and integrating the Minnesota Way of tackling real-world issues, I will problem-solve as a future administrator, keeping the needs of patients as my utmost priority and ensuring quality delivery of care. These values of equity that are the highlights of the School of Public Health is what drew my attention.

Maternal and Child Health

Abby is pursuing an MPH in Maternal & Child Health at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. Abby went to the University of Minnesota for her bachelor’s as well and graduated with degrees in Global Studies and Spanish Studies along with a minor in Public Health. She chose to study public health at the UMN because of the reproductive justice and health equity research being done by incredible faculty here, and the commitment that students, faculty, and staff have to community engaged scholarship.

© 2015 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. Privacy Statement