SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUITY WORK

Growing up first-generation and low-income, I've encountered a number of obstacles to be able to reach the privileged position I'm at today. My parents are refugees from the Vietnam War and sacrificed and risked their lives in search of a better life for themselves and for me. I've experienced the shame and stigma of poverty and welfare, as well as the cultural barriers that come with growing up in the United States as an ethnic minority.

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I was fortunate enough for the opportunity to attend a top liberal arts school for undergrad through need-based financial aid and outside merit scholarships, covering full-tuition and room and board. This opportunity to attend college has opened up doors I never would've dreamed of and helped me navigate my identity and my passions. Working at GLIDE during my undergraduate studies was a transformative experience where I began to understand the meaning of radical inclusivity and speaking one's truth. This was the turning point for me in my desire to learn how to address structural barriers and systemic issues that lead to a cycle of poverty. I began to view more issues through a social justice lens and dug deeper into topics of racism and inequity.

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Pursuing public health has helped me to intersect my passions for tackling these social determinants of health to improve quality of life for everyone. During my graduate studies, I was elected Vice President of Community Affairs and Public Health Promotion of our Student Assembly. In the course of my tenure, our committee implemented an advocacy toolkit workshop series to give public health practitioners practical skills to advocate for causes they are passionate about. To support this, we also organized buses, marches, and phone banks to help students, faculty, and community members apply these skills and advocate for important causes. We supported student organizations in carrying out community engagement projects and collaborated with them to facilitate student engagement in the Baltimore community. The highlight of the year was hosting a dinner and dialogue on systemic violence in Baltimore where we invited community leaders, local representatives, and faculty to speak about their engagement and work in fighting systemic violence in Baltimore. These speakers helped foster round table discussions among attendees that night for next steps in this important work and how community members and students can become involved within their own capacity.

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In addition to this work, I am passionate about improving quality of care from an operations and business perspective. Through using practical skills for improving processes, I believe this inherently improves effectiveness and efficiency in delivering quality care, thus benefitting our most vulnerable populations. I have experience in using different tools, such as Lean Six Sigma, to improve care processes. I hope to incorporate my work in social justice and healthcare to improve health outcomes for all, and especially for our most disadvantaged populations. Reach out if you have any thoughts or if you'd like to inquire about any independent consulting services for improving community engagement within your organization, capacity building, and operations.