I joined the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force (PATF) chapter at Pitt to offer my service and support for another marginalized group. We were a group of students providing our fellow peers with sexual education. This club advocated for those living with HIV/AIDS and worked to normalize prevention efforts. We targeted college students because of the heightened risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. The club also advocated for the communication of sexual education and prevention awareness to the public. In addition, our club promoted accessibility and affordability of prevention efforts and treatment for all groups.

PATF shed light on the role that cultural stigma has on the unequal distribution and access of medical treatments to marginalized groups. Through my active participation in this club, I learned about the social aspects of stigmatized conditions that I learned about in my Global Health concentration like HIV/AIDS. In fact, this club is the main reason why I became interested in studying the differences in health equity and healthcare accessibility across populations. This club motivated me to travel to Tanzania to further study preventable yet stigmatized health conditions like HIV/AIDS, and I am now more aware of the need for culturally-competent health professionals to treat diverse populations.

In addition, I also was an active volunteer on campus during election times. Our mission was to encourage students to register to vote and uphold their political efficacy. On campus, I spoke directly with students and relayed voting information about absentee ballots, deadlines, poll locations and hours, and more.

As I passed information to other students, I even received knowledge myself and the more I learned, the more empowered I felt to vote. In terms of my Global Health Concentration, this on-campus club is undoubtedly related. A common theme in all of my global health courses is the dissemination of knowledge and the allocation of resources across borders.

I participate in Higher Achievement Pittsburgh, a mentorship program for at-risk middle school youth in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. I am a mentor to 2 middle school boys that are both African-American. This afterschool program provides its students from marginalized communities with the tools needed to succeed: homework help, positive role models, and a dependable support system. I joined this program because I wanted to help combat the racial achievement gap within the school districts. Although this is a domestic experience, I believe the global health concentration led me to pursue community engagement opportunities that use tailored and productive interventions to combat specific issues. In addition, I have been able to instill a sense of global wonder in the 2 boys that I mentor, and I often encourage them to shoot for the stars and free themselves from their own limitations.

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In addition, I volunteer to help first-generation college students complete their applications to study abroad. Most of the students have never traveled abroad before, but they all have the same goal: to see the world outside of their comfort zone. With this experience, I am able to apply the political relations and global knowledge that I obtained through my global health concentration. I am able to help the students identify and explain the existing connections between their proposed plan of study and the history of their particular country of interest. Together, we were able to brainstorm from their past experiences, ideas, and goals to formulate strong responses for their study abroad essay prompts.