Academic highlight

Throughout my academic career, I have been fortunate to receive multiple scholarships and grants that fully supported my college education, allowing me to focus entirely on my studies without placing financial strain on my family. These include the Frank O’Bannon Grant, Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, IUPUI Pledge Award, OU Grant, Indy Achieves Promise Scholarship, Jaguar Leadership Network Scholarship, Supply IU Indy Achieves Scholarship, IU Indianapolis Pledge FOB Grant, and the Indy Achieves Reach Completion Scholarship. These awards recognized my academic dedication and potential and motivated me to stay committed and succeed in my college journey. 

During my sophomore year in an Introduction to Public Health course, I worked on a group project called Public Health Solution Presentation, the topic of which focused on mass shootings. Our team researched the definition, causes, and impacts of mass shootings on communities at the neighborhood, city, and national levels. We also analyzed relevant data and discussed possible prevention strategies. This project taught me how to approach complex public health issues with analytical thinking and empathy. Collaborating with my peers helped me strengthen my communication and teamwork skills, as we regularly met to share ideas and support one another. Our team received an A for the presentation.

In my final semester, I took a Strategic Planning course with Professor Steve Reed, where I completed a project focused on creating a strategic plan for a healthcare organization. I chose Riley Hospital for Children as the subject of my project. The assignment required in-depth research on the hospital’s mission, goals, and plan-to-plan. This experience helped me better understand how strategic planning is applied in real-world healthcare settings and strengthened my critical thinking, research, and long-term planning skills.