I am a second year Master of Public Health student, studying Maternal and Child Health and specializing in reproductive health and LGBTQIA issues. I became interested in this field by feeling social and political injustices because of my own identities. Being a queer woman and a survivor of sexual violence with a background in hard science, the field of public health has provided a way to try to remedy some of those injustices for others, while healing my own wounds and putting my past research experience to use.

Ultimately, I am interested in providing a platform for people to tell stories which relate to reproductive justice (or lack thereof) in order to spark change in the community and key players like policy makers, faith leaders, and researchers.

 

With the catalyst award, I attended the National Conference on Health, Communication, Media, and Marketing. The funding from the Taylor Center covered registration, accommodations, and travel to the conference, which took place in Atlanta, Georgia on August 23-26. I was interested in attending this conference in order to better understand how to combine social marketing and videography into qualitative research methods in public health.

The conference provided an introduction into the world of social marketing and convinced me to take a course on that subject while still at Tulane. Additionally, the conference provided several networking connections and opportunities where I connected with others who are already doing work similar to that which I aspire to achieve. Furthermore, the conference helped to validate my plans to infuse videography with health messages and qualitative research. Before this validation, it seemed a far-fetched goal to combine the art of video with the science of research.

 

 

I was also able to connect to several agencies whose missions align with my own goals. This will be extremely helpful upon graduation and job hunting. The conference also helped push me to continue working on a current project around interviewing the New Orleans community about the newest Planned Parenthood facility, reproductive justice in the South, and perceptions around abortion.

All in all, the catalyst award has helped me to grow as an individual, has aided me in my career path goals, and inspired me to move forward in my endeavors.

Thank you, Taylor Center!