UC Merced

My name is Jacob Gray Herrera & I was a part of the 2018 cohort! Every day I am grateful for the experience I had during this program because it opened my eyes to all the different career possibilities Public Health has to offer. During this program, I decided I wanted to continue my education and pursue my Master’s Degree in Public Health. I now am in my second year at Boston University pursuing my MPH in Healthcare Management. The long lasting connections that I made in this program have helped me all throughout my journey!

UCLA

The UCLA Public Health Scholars Program played a critical role in helping me decide what realm of public health I wanted to engage with, network with mentors, and determine graduate school options. As a result of my experiences in the program, I have since graduated with my Masters of Public Health in Community Health Education and teach part-time at San Francisco State University. To this day, I still keep in contact with a few of my fellow cohort members and I look forward to seeing what our public health journeys will blossom into.

UCLA

From connecting me with graduate, faculty, and professional mentors to pairing me with an environmental policy internship, the UCLA Public Health Scholars Training Program enabled me to obtain academia and hands-on exposure in the environmental health field. I was then able to merge the acquired knowledge and experience to research and present the environmental injustice in the city design of Boyle Heights and provide real-world recommendations to maneuver the design's repercussions of achieving health equity. Because of this program, I gained the confidence and skills to ground my imposter syndrome, cultivate my voice as an upcoming public health professional, and explore the power of vulnerability and community all while making lifelong friends and memories. Today I assess the built environment for suspect conditions and contaminants that could affect people's health such as mold, lead, and asbestos as an environmental field technician.

Cal State Dominguez Hills

My experience with the program really increased my knowledge of the Public Health Field and the many aspects sorrowing it. The amount of support, guidance, and structured lessons is something you will not gain in any traditional classroom setting. I can’t picture where I am today without thinking of this program and it’s impact. (Including introducing me to some of the most amazing people) This is one program you will never forget!

CSUN

Through this program, I gained community experience and professional skills that have been foundational to my public health career. As an intern with SEE-LA, I developed nutrition promotion for farmer markets in South LA. With a network of diverse mentors and peers, I feel supported to pursue an MPH. I’m currently a Peer Health Educator at CSUN’s Klotz Student Health Center.

Cal Lutheran

Overall, my experience being a scholar this past summer has been truly amazing since it has allowed me to be in a space where I got to meet and interact with such amazing individuals who have a passion for working to provide essential healthcare resources to improve the health of all communities. This program has impacted my public health journey because it has allowed me to develop and strengthen my skills in developing HIV surveillance demographic reports and supporting the grant writing process to prepare me for a future career in the sector of HIV/AIDS prevention non-profit work.After this program, I plan to continue pursuing my education by earning my Master's in Public Health (MPH) in epidemiology and a P.h.D in Medical Sociology in hopes of becoming a social epidemiologist. In addition, I also plan to continue working with public health organizations in Southern California to provide comprehensive sexual health education and prevention resources in underserved communities to stop the spread of STIs including HIV/AIDS from occurring.