Introductions

The air I breathe is heavy with smoke from the wood-burning cooking fires of a rural village in Guatemala. I had spent the morning doing arts and crafts with young children in the surrounding area. Dressed in little more than ripped shirts, their unwavering smiles radiated past the dirt on their skin, clothing, and the once-white walls. Their sanguinity despite their living situation was contagious. But in this moment, I witness a different kind of hope. An elderly woman dressed in traditional garb hobbles into the local health clinic where I have been working. I greet her and the woman tells me about her ailments. As I listen intently to her Tzutujil-accented Spanish, she shares that she is 94 years old and lives alone – her husband and all four of her sons had been killed in the civil war. A look of relief takes over as she thanks me for coming to her village and she thanks God for sending us. Even though her life is hard, her faith in the forces greater than us sustains her. Her hidden strength amazes me and I realize that when faced with hardship, we must grasp onto what we have left and recognize that it is alright to acknowledge life’s difficulties and ask for help.

My name is Ginny; I am a freshman from Princeton, New Jersey. In high school, I went on a trip to provide aid to mudslide refugees in Guatemala, where I saw first-hand the needs that public health serves – a demand that is insatiable. Also, as an EMT and volunteer in a New Jersey health clinic, I realized how many health issues can be prevented, and how much needs to be addressed in health care. This turned my eye toward the field of Public Health. I am particularly interested in global environmental health, especially water quality’s effect and the complex issues surrounding water rights (privatization vs. public access).

Public health is a dynamic field that is constantly updated and continually progressive, focusing on optimizing the quality of life of individuals and populations. The field incorporates both treatment and prevention -- in doing this, it is interdisciplinary. It combines social science, politics, and humanities, and allows for the cultivation of both scientific and personal creativity.

The first two classes were helpful in providing definitions for health and policy, and offered excellent background as we delve into more specific topics. Something I found particularly interesting was the lesson on epidemiology and how the field came about by “father of epidemiology” John Snow during a cholera outbreak. I had heard of the field but had not learned of the detailed procedures that it involves. This topic is intriguing because it is highly relatable, for news of outbreaks pervade everyday life. Various past biological threats such as the swine flu, anthrax, food-borne illness hit close to home, while we hear of many severe outbreaks in other world regions. I am taking Introduction to Public Health to learn more about the field (for its broadness can be overwhelming) and hopefully find my niche. So far the possibilities seem endless!