
In my late 20s I moved to India to backpack, do some volunteering, and see the world. While living in Calcutta, I volunteered for Mother Theresa. Every morning on my way to work I passed a mom with 3 young children and a very sick, very premature baby. Every day that baby got sicker. Mom was unable to feed her children and herself so she went without most days. As a result, her milked dried up. I started bringing her baby formula but found out she sold it to feed her other children.
Think about that for a moment: she had to choose which children to keep alive. The sad but inevitable outcome was that the baby died.
It was pivotal moment in my life and I walked away with two thoughts. NO human being should live in abject poverty and NO mother should be forced to make a decision like this.
That moment started my journey. It’s taken me to places I never imagined, doing things I never thought possible. But it’s always been about social justice. Everything I do is about helping those on the lowest rungs get access to basic rights the rest of us take for granted.
This isn’t a job for me. This is woven into who I am. It’s my passion and my vocation.
- Concentration: Global Health and Infectious Disease
- Graduate Certificates: Human Rights and Complex Humanitarian Emergencies
- Thesis: Community Participatory Programming in Developing Countries
- Award: Eugene Gangorosa Award for Outstanding Service in the International Arena (Non Profit development & management)
- Research: American Attitudes and Giving Trends for International Issues
- Major: Interdisciplinary Studies (International Development / Public Health / Gender Studies)
- Minor: Global Poverty and Practice
- Honors Thesis: Structural Adjustment Policies, Gender and Poverty
- Awards: Phi Beta Kappa, Highest Honors, Department Distinction, University of California alumni Association Leadership Fellow
- Research: Berkeley Undergraduate Research Associate (Diabetes in Hmong Population)
- Graduate Certificate in Human Rights | Emory University Rollins School of Public Health
- Graduate Certificate in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies | Emory University Rollins School of Public Health
- Certificate in Organizational Change & Knowledge Management | Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
- Certificate in Instructional Methods in Health Professions Education | University of Michigan
- Polio Eradication: CDC Award for Excellence in International Program Delivery (2017)
- Zika Response: CDC Preparedness & Response Award for Excellence in Communication (2016)
- Ebola Response: US Department of State Meritorious Honor Award(2016)
- Vaccines for Children: CDC Director’s Award for Excellence in Immunization Services (2013)
- International, Foreign Affairs, National Security: Nonprofit Tagline Award (2012)
- Nonprofit Management: Emory University Award for Outstanding Service in International Arena (2010)
- Haiti Earthquake Response: CDC Award for Service (2010)
- Fuel Efficient Stoves: White House Project Women Rule Leader (2008)
- Gender Violence Prevention: Oprah Winfrey “Women with Vision” Leader (2008)
- Best Educational Website: Web Marketing Award for Freddie Mac Homeownership Education (2002)
- Community Engagement / Literacy: Points of Light Award from President George H. W. Bush (2000)