Zidane Galant-LaPorte
Whitman College
Zidane Galant-LaPorte, a third year student at Whitman College, is a student leader active in addressing issues regarding matters of community health. For the past two years, she has served the College as the Intern for Summer Community OutReach Engagements (SCORE). This leadership and immersion experience introduced her to the importance of collaboration in rural areas, as well as the critical roles that education, service and reflection hold in effective community engagement. A legacy she is leaving both the SCORE program and Whitman is a newly themed preorientation trip focusing on community health which she co-adapted from the "Active Citizen Continuum". She is currently working for the Umatilla County Health Department in a community-based project addressing barriers to accessing reproductive healthcare. Leading with care and compassion, she has vast potential to create real social change in her future academic, civic and professional endeavors. She plans to pursue a dual Masters in Public Health and Social Work, because as a current sociology major, she knows the value of understanding how social structures make significant impacts on the health of both the individual and the community.
Personal Statement
Growing up in rural Central Oregon has taught me the value in tight social connections and the importance of taking care of my community through care and compassion. Upon entering the Walla Walla community and Whitman College, I was able to see a community exemplifying this through the work of public and private organizations. I had the opportunity to connect with the local community through education, service and reflection through Summer Community OutReach Engagements (SCORE). This program changed the course of my college career. This meaningful and intense engagement experience opened my eyes to the importance of collaboration in rural areas. I was able to be part of this community collaboration through my work as the coordinator of SCORE for two years. I developed a new theme, focusing on community health, and co-adapted an engagement model based off the “Active Citizen Continuum.” Currently, I work for the Umatilla County Health Department in a community-based project addressing barriers to accessing reproductive healthcare. I plan to pursue a dual Masters in Public Health and Social Work, because as a sociology major, I understand the value in understanding social structures to make significant impacts on the health of both the individual and community.
