Homelessness Reflection

Growing in up rural Southern Alabama, opportunities were limited. As such, people sufficed with the sacrifice of healthy options. Most food options were unhealthy and physical activity was not a priority. As a child, I attended the local Boys and Girls Club of America, our equivalent to community recreation center. At this place I became actively involved and developed a passion for sports and exercise in general. Now that I am older this passion still lives on, in the form of creating healthier communities worldwide. However, much has changed since then, as over one third of children and adolescents are overweight and obese as well as eighty percent of adults do not meet national physical activity recommendations. The question we should ask …show more content…
If the cause of causes chronic diseases is known, what are some innovations that can be utilize to decrease the prevalence of theses diseases? What is being done to combat homelessness and reduce the stigmas surrounding mental illness? The answers to the questions I seek to find and with the assistance of your program I believe that I can not only find formidable answers to these puzzling questions but also sustainable solutions to these and many more public health problems. While the world will never be perfect, becoming a public health leader and practitioner will help my nation and many others achieve healthier ways of life.

My first exposure to public health came while completing an internship with a non profit organization dedicated to fighting childhood obesity. Experiencing the impact made on these families and children changed my life forever, for just one piece of education was all it took to catalyze a change for a better and thus healthier lifestyle. I knew then that public health was my destiny. I completed my undergraduate degree in Health and Human Services with a focus on Health Education and Health Promotion. I became the lead peer health educator on campus and served on the student health advisory …show more content…
I am especially intrigued by the research of Professor Kaczynski, focusing environmental justice and park quality improvements and inequities. I am also impressed by the work of Professor Thrasher, Professor Frongillo and Professor Annang-Ingram. I desire to use my analytical skills, creativity, and heart for health as catalysts in designing such social interventions. On a longer-term basis, I envision myself playing an ongoing role, both nationally and internationally, in helping people and communities better their quality of life through public health implementation. And I believe that my admission to Arnold School of Public Health is critical to making this vision a reality. I welcome the challenge of serving a large community and participating in such a dynamic and challenging