Personal Interests:
My family immigrated to the United States about forty years ago from the Dominican Republic. I am a first generation American. I spent most of my childhood growing up in the predominantly Dominican community of Washington Heights in New York City, home to the Mailman School of Public Health. I continue to reside in the community, as do many of my immediate family members.

Academic Interests:
Prior to attending MSPH, I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in 2003 from Haverford College, a small liberal arts college in Pennsylvania. I majored in English and concentrated in Latin American and Iberian Studies.

I am currently enrolled in the Health Promotion track in the Department of Sociomedical Sciences. My current public health interests include immigrant health, barriers to accessing health care, specifically among Latinos of low socioeconomic status, and the sexual health of adolescents.

Community Interests:
I currently volunteer for COSMO, a student-run clinic affiliated with the Columbia University Medical Center whose mission is to provide free quality medical care to uninsured members of our local community. I provide general health education and Spanish language translation services for patients that attend the clinic.
As a part-time graduate research assistant for the Center for Applied Public at MSPH, I research adolescents’ use of the Internet to seek health information. I also develop content and formatting for an adolescent health website, checkoutthatbody.com.

I am also a member of the Black and Latino Student Caucus at MSPH.

Upon graduation, I hope to pursue a career in public health working specifically with the Latino immigrant community of New York City. My goal is to promote health and increase access to health care in this community.