Institute for Families in Society

(MPH, University of South Carolina)
From a young age up until my senior year of college, I was set on pursuing a career in veterinary medicine. However, five years into the profession helped guide me to a new calling.

While working as a veterinary assistant, I realized that I had developed a particular interest in investigating the origins of disease among my four-legged patients. With goals of entering the human healthcare field, a quick search led me to Epidemiology. Eager to learn more, I enrolled in the University of South Carolina Master of Public Health in Epidemiology program. While seeking my degree, I focused on gaining experience outside of the classroom and, by doing so, acquired a vast wealth of knowledge expanding several public health concentrations. My greatest involvement surrounded efforts in health services policy and management represented by my time engaging with legislators at the South Carolina Institute of Medicine and Public Health and through my prior role as a graduate assistant at the IFS collaborating on the Voices/Voces Initiative.

From these experiences, I knew that, after graduation, I wanted to lead a career that not only improved the lives of others but also as a Latina woman myself, promoted the well-being of underrepresented populations. In 2022, I did just that as I served as Program Coordinator for the UofSC Laboratory of Vector-borne and Zoonotic Diseases. While there, I aided in the development and/or led several CDC, SCDHEC, and Prisma Health research grants investigating and addressing disparities in health issues affecting our state, such as COVID-19, STIs, and Chagas disease among the Latino/Hispanic population.

Now back at the Institute as a Research Associate/Policy Analyst, I have the opportunity to work alongside the Maternal and Child Health team and continue on my path of ensuring equitable health for all.