EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This academic portfolio provides a look at my accomplishments during my time as a health education and behavior student at the University of Florida. During my four years at the University of Florida, I was involved in rigorous academic coursework while simultaneously pursuing my passion for clinical volunteering. I further developed excellent communication, leadership, and teamwork skills through active involvement in clinical work experiences. Following my graduation in May 2021, I am pursuing work as a health educator with the hopes of planning and implementing interventions aimed at increasing healthy behaviors among both pediatric and adult populations.
Academic Successes
My first project is from a course titled Personal and Family Health. This was one of my first undergraduate courses and it provided great insight into the field of health education. The assignment was to write a paper documenting my efforts to track an unhealthy behavior and using health behavior change models to correct the "bad" habit.
My next two projects were completed in different courses but focused on the same topics. The first of this series was a persuasive speech given in a course titled Effective Oral Communication. The goal of this project was to prepare and present an eight-minute persuasive speech on a science issue and effectively persuade an audience to take specific action on the issue. The second major project was a culminating Skills Mastery Project completed in a course dedicated to planning and implementing health education and promotion programs. This project involved creating a cohesive logic model that described the necessary resources, activities, and outcomes of a successfully planned program.
The fourth academic project I highlight was completed in a course titled Methods and Materials in Health Education. This specific project involved creating a lesson plan and associated teaching presentation on any health topic of choice and presenting it to a live audience.
Practical Experience
In my final semester as an undergraduate student at the University of Florida, I had the incredible opportunity to work as a Health Education and Behavior intern within the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at North Florida Regional Medical Center.
I worked closely with the unit nurse manager (my supervisor) and local rehabilitation nurses and cardiologists. My main project revolved around creating educational materials aimed at reducing readmission rates among heart failure patients in Alachua, Columbia, and Levy counties.
Within my internship, I was tasked with finding ways to reduce readmission rates among patients diagnosed with heart failure. My E-Portfolio displays three of the educational materials I created, which were all included in a final discharge education packet that served as my end product.
Involvement
In this section I highlight some of my most moving involvement experiences within and around the UF campus.
I was fortunate to have well-rounded clinical experiences in my time at UF. Some of the most meaningful being my time spent volunteering with the Equal Access Clinic and Mobile Outreach Clinic. Both being free clinics that strived to provide quality comprehensive healthcare for all.
I served as a committee director my senior year for the Futures in Health Professions committee (FIHP) within UF’s chapter of the Premedical American Medical Student Association (AMSA). FIHP is responsible for hosting one of AMSA’s largest keystone events, the annual Health Career Convention (HCC). This event allowed Florida high school students interested in the healthcare field to visit UF and gain hands-on experience from professionals spanning different disciplines. As one of the co-directors for this committee, I led a team in charge of planning and hosting HCC.
When I came to college, I knew that I wanted to engage in activities that sparked my creative interest and held meaning outside of my academics. Thus, I became involved with Gator Adaa, a nationally competitive Bollywood Fusion dance team. I was on the team for all four years of college. I became more involved as time went on, serving as Team Manager my junior year and Dance Captain my senior year. Outside of exploring our creative sides and being able to dance together we were able to maintain a support system that transcended the base expectations of the team. As captain, I was able to hone my communication and leadership skills to work successfully within a large team setting.
One of my favorite extracurricular experiences thus far has been my time volunteering with the School Health Interdisciplinary Program (SHIP) here at UF. SHIP contributes to optimal health and academic outcomes for elementary-aged youth by developing, implementing and evaluating effective school health curriculum. Through this program I combined my passion for introducing health education at an early age with my desire to work with pediatric populations.
Moving Forward
I plan to work as a health educator within a large hospital system in New York City. This upcoming year will serve as a growth year as I apply to medical school. I hope to work with HIV/AIDS patients and provide resources and education necessary to have the best quality of life possible. I know that working within this setting in a metropolitan area will provide a wealth of experience and the opportunity to push this field forward. As I transition into medical school the following year, I know without a doubt that my degree in health education will help me tremendously in learning to be a culturally competent physician. I will always be thankful for my decision to major in health education and behavior, as I gained a professional philosophy and set of values that will aid me greatly the rest of my professional life.