Academic Projects:

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          In this section, I will discuss three of my best projects that I completed during my time at UF that helped pave the way for a successful career in Health Education. The projects were for the courses "Planning and Evaluating Health Education Programs", "Nutrition Education for Special Populations", and "Methods and Materials in Health Education."

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      My first project is from HSC4713: Planning and Evaluating Health Education Programs, taught by Dr. Rodgers, that I completed during my senior year. In this course  frameworks, principles and strategies for planning, implementing and evaluating health promotion interventions are taught. We learned about different strategies to effectively teach health education information to children, adults, the elderly, and other target audiences. Each week of class focused on a different aspect of health education programs such as planning, program goals and interventions. After learning these effective teaching methods, we were assigned the task of developing our own health education presentation. I was assigned social marketing as my presentation topic. I had to create a concise yet complete a twenty-minute PowerPoint presentation on social marketing with notes, audio and an activity to simulate what I would do in a real classroom setting. I received a grade of a 96 on this project. You can find this project on the "Academic Preparation" tab. All in all, in this class, I learned about everything that goes into being an effective health educator and why each piece of the puzzle is so crucial to reaching goals in the field.

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            Next, I completed a video project for HSC4574, Nutrition Education for Special Populations, taught by Dr. James, that I completed during my senior year. This course discusses the development of nutrition education programs for selected population groups. We utilized educational techniques for informing special populations of changing nutritional needs. The population groups covered included ethnic minorities, the elderly, the pregnant female and the athlete. One component of this class was to develop a video that could be used to educate certain populations on effective nutritional habits. I was assigned the topic, “Nutrition and Wellness for the Elderly”, with three other students. We created a five-minute video that would be appropriate and effective for this population. I received a grade of a 98 on this project. You can find this project on the "Academic Preparation" tab. 

 

       My last project is from HSC4302: Methods and Materials in Health Education, taught by Dr. Varnes, that I completed during my senior year. In this course, we discussed fundamental strategies for health education such as conceptualizing instruction, specifying instructional objectives, planning units and lessons using various instructional methods, selecting and using instructional materials, and evaluating the effectiveness of health instruction in school and community settings. For my Health Communication and Advocacy Campaign (HCAC) project, which is an in depth project to present a health issue in a variety of ways such as PowerPoint, demonstrations and a fact sheet, another student and I created a campaign for Nutrition for College Students. This campaign was designed to teach college students ways to eat healthier on campus and be more physically active, which can be a challenge due to limited food options and numerous hours spent studying. Using the Health Belief Model, which suggests that a person's belief in a personal threat of an illness or disease combined with a person's belief in the effectiveness of the recommended health behavior or action will predict the likelihood the person will adopt the behavior. We constructed different materials and logistical information to create an effective health education campaign. I received a grade of an 82 on this project.

 

                                                 Internship:

           

        For my internship in Summer 2017, I worked at the UF IFAS (Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences) Extension Office of Martin County, primarily with the Family Nutrition Program. The Family Nutrition Program helps people who receive SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits learn better eating and physical activity habits to reduce the risk of obesity and chronic disease. The classes are research-based and free for SNAP-eligible Floridians.  In this section, I illustrated the projects I worked on while I was interning. I initiated a Grocery Store Tour program at the office and lead tours demonstrating how to make healthy food choices with limited SNAP dollars at the grocery store. The four key skills I taught were reading food labels, comparing unit prices, finding whole grain foods and identifying three ways to purchase produce. Additionally, I was also able to prepare and present nutrition presentations for adult centers such as House of Hope food pantry as well as school and summer camp programs for children. I was also able to help at the Extension office and organized my own water awareness event as well as teach kids about gardening and environmental issues.

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                             Extracurricular Activities:

           

      I have had the opportunity to participate in many activities that have enhanced my time at UF. In this section, I discuss the extracurricular activities I was involved in during my college career. Many of which are health and sustainability focused.

       First, I have been involved in the Get Fruved Research Project since my freshman year and part of the founding committee of the connected student organization, The Fruvement, since my sophomore year. Get Fruved is a USDA-funded 4-H project designed to ultimately decrease the proportion of older adolescents who are overweight or obese by developing an effective behavioral intervention with environmental supports. Some of the interventions include increasing healthier food options on campus, organizing physical activity events like scavenger hunts, and providing stress management yoga classes. I am also a research assistant and admininster pre and post assessments for participants. Additionally, I serve as a peer mentor and peer mentor co-chair overlooking and enhancing peer mentor/mentee relationships while providing referral services, advice, and guidance.

      Additionally, I have been involved in Campus Juice Healthy Lifestyle Organization since my freshman year, serving as the president for the last two years. In this organization, I coordinated service opportunities, such as making juice for chronically ill children and families, and organizing like-minded students to engage in activities that promote health, such (e.g.,nutrition workshops and yoga).

      In this section, I will also talk about other internship and volunteer experiences I have had throughout my college years, such as Research with UF Family, Youth and Community Sciences Department, Marilyn Magaram Center for Nutrition at California State University, Tacachale Developmental Disability Center, Florida Food Policy Council, UF Organic and Sustainable Agriculture Club, Florida Alternative Breaks, Chabad and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

       I am also involved in International Scholars and Peace Corp Prep Programs, Civic Scholars Program, and recipient of Bright Futures Academic Scholars and Presidential Service Award in Childhood Development.

 

                                                           

                                                       Conclusion:

         

          This section will summarize my portfolio and provide reflection on my academic experience at UF. I will discuss my gratitude for all the people and opportunities that have positively impacted me thus far. Additionally, I delve into my future plans and ultimate life goals.

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