Personal Statement

Growing up in a low-income neighborhood in NYC, I always knew the immense amount of healthcare and accessibility inequity in my community and the strong mistrust in western medicine because of historical and present trauma. This stems from the root issue in our system that dehumanizes POCs, believes in meritocracy and doesn’t make healthcare accessible. This knowledge, combined with first-hand experiences ignited my passion for not only Epidemiology but its ongoing relationship to issues of healthcare access for under-served communities. I started working with my community in middle school; at my local community center, with an alliance combating sexual violence, with a non-profit to reimagine solutions for NYC LGBTQ+ youth’s mental health, and now with the Office of Sexual Violence Prevention and Advocacy at Connecticut College to educate on sexual violence through social media. My approach will be continuing to work with local communities to help and advocate awareness to their needs, contribute time to laboratory work and active research, and connect with fellow peers. Over time, I will make a difference within the cycle of distrust, including work I have done and will continue to do having it come from someone who looks and grew up like them.