So Much to Explore, So Much to Learn, My Interests Change Everyday

Health is Here, There, and Everywhere 
    Since beginning my master's degree in public health at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, I have began to zero-in on my niche. The world of public health is so expansive, there's so many directions that you can travel in, it can feel tiresome at times. Global
health speaks to me, it has been softly whispering into my ear for years now. You may ask, what it is that attracts me to it? My passion for global public health is not derived from one simple factor. Like a health intervention, there's a package that tightly bonds me to public health, and the challenge of improving the health status of all, no matter their race, gender, sexual preference, and other status markers that distinguish us from one another. The more I dive into my coursework, I'm becoming pulled closer and closer to maternal, child, and adolescent health. From a physical and psychological development standpoint, the most important stages in life occur when we're younger. Exposure in our youth and adolescent are crucial to our development, and can have both positive and negative long-lasting effects on our overall health; not limited to just the physical, but also our psychological and mental health.

   
    Watching children, well even newborns, have to face the harsh reality of living and battling a life-threatening diseases, motivates me and fuels me to take charge, and use my knowledge, creativity, and passion to address these crucial health concerns. Being born into a comfortable family setting i
n the United States, I felt extremely fortunate. Although having a cancer at a young age is not an ideal situation, overcoming this obstacle was easier for me than others. Having the financial resources and access to high quality healthcare are freedoms that many of us take for granted sometimes. The hard truth is that not everyone has access or the means to attains the resources required to beat diseases, chronic conditions, and life-threatening syndromes. Cancer is highest in developing countries, claiming 70% of the total prevalence rate for the world.  I'm not going to input my economic beliefs, because that's not the purpose of this blog. While I believe that there should be a sense of responsibility, I also believe that everyone deserves a fair chance at life. Everyone should have the right to live a meaningful life, filled with good health and happiness. Do I know the "most fair" way to level the playing field? If I'm being honest, that is a constant challenge that I grapple with frequently. Do I believe that there's a way? Absolutely. I believe that it requires more than government handouts; it requires people to take charge of their own health, and have a sense of agency.
   
    Moving away from the health of vulnerable populations, like mothers, newborns, and children, I also have a strong attachment to mental health. Mental health is a newer area of public health, that is beginning to gain more traction in the field. Combating the stigma that is associated with having a psychological disorder will be the first step to improving the overall mental health of communities all over the world. Training the public to treat mental health the same way that physical health is treated has been a long-lived battle. Why should having schizophrenia be any different than having cancer? Both are diseases. While each is derived from different sources, they both result from some chemical imbalance and flawed biological process. While others might not be able to see it, there's a strong connection between violence and mental health. In the past ten years, the number of gun-related homicides has seen a dramatic increase. What do all of these situations have in common? The perpetrators all battle some form of mental illness. Changing the conversation and ideologies behind mental health, increasing access and availability of services to treat mental health and those affected by it, will both lead to better outcomes for society.

A New Age, A New School of Thought 

Even before committing to Tulane, I toyed around with many different ideas; several ways in which I can leverage all of my skills and knowledge.

When applying to programs, I applied to both strictly-MPH program, and MBA-MPH dual degree programs. After focusing on domestic health for the entirety of my professional career, I knew that I needed a change, and that I wanted to pursue a more global approach on addressing public health issues. My parents, friends, and others question why public health? My mom says, "I'm not sure how you're going to survive. You grew up in a gated, country club community; your father and I provided you with a very comfortable upbringing. You know you're not going to be able to afford this lifestyle." When I was younger, my mother's realistic plea might have had me second guessing my career choice, though after growing up in a very superficial community, being forced to grow up quickly after being diagnosed with cancer at a young age, and witnessing the level of greed, unhappiness, and immorality that occurs in these upper-middle and upper strata of society, some things just outweigh the value of material goods. I understand that money is required to live, though the cost of necessities are at best minimal. I know what you're thinking right about now... if you never had cancer, would you still have this mindset. Truthfully speaking, probably not. I'd probably be pursuing an MBA in Real Estate Development at the NYU Stern School of Business, and on my way to building a multi-million -- billion dollar real estate empire. Though, I do not like to live in the past, living in a hypothetical world. As historians say, "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans." Being told you have a disease, that can be life and death, really changes your perspective on life. While your friends are busy being teenagers, you're sitting in a bed questioning whether or not you'll be here tomorrow.  You suddenly realize that the material goods that once were of a high value to you are valueless compared to your health. If your parents could trade in their imported luxury cars and palatial estate, if it meant that you could bypass the eight months of hell that are about to follow, they would without any questions. Your dreams of being on the cover of Fortune magazine suddenly begin to dissipate; you realize your ego is short lived. You find a greater purpose in life, something that extends far beyond oceanfront mansions and supermodel wives. And that's what happened, the rest is history.

     While my social experience at Tulane and in New Orleans has not been ideal nor what I was hoping for, I keep reminding myself that I did not come here to replace my best friends.  I've thoroughly enjoyed interacting with the other focused and level-headed individuals. Being challenged with thought provoking questions by my professors and peers; having those controversial, eye-twitching conversations has really forced me to consider other sides of the story. Hearing my peers speak about their past experiences, such as serving overseas in the Peace Corps, and working in uncivilized societies in the Middle-East, has been eye opening. Everyone has a story to tell, each one giving more color and lucidity to the problems that many of us only read or hear about, much of what is flawed and bended by the media.

      While Tulane has a much younger student body than other graduate level public health programs, there's actually a plethora of interesting individuals in the graduate-level public health programs at Tulane. Of the many experiences that I have had thus far in this program, some of the best are the interactions that I have had with the international students, and the relationships that I am building with my peers who traveled tens and thousands of miles to expand their public health knowledge, so that they can return to their native countries, and apply the skills and applications back that they acquired here at Tulane, and work towards improving the health status of their homelands. From Afghanistan to Nigeria, China to India, you name it, there's certainly no lack in diversity at Tulane. Hearing stories from people who've witnessed and experienced these public health issues firsthand brings another level of truth and depth to coursework.

Life: A Cylindrical Process
      I'm not entirely sure where I want to be next year. There's many different paths to take, from working for a not-for-profit international-focused organization like FHI 360, to working for a for-profit public health consulting firm like John Snow, Inc. I'm not sure an MPH will be a terminal degree for me, part of me is hungering for that MBA. I cannot promise that public health will be a life-long commitment for me, though I hope to definitely apply the skills and knowledge that I attained/attain during these next two semesters towards both professional and personal pursuits in my life. No matter where I go or what I do, there will always be something that links my responsibilities to healthcare, social equity, and economic development.

All strapped In, continue paddling: Almost Done with Semester 1 of Grad School!

    As much as I try to make New Orleans feel like my new home, I'm just stuck in the mindset that it's nothing more than a temporary arrangement. Adjusting to a new city that is very different from any other place that I have lived has had a large strain on me. I knew not to set my expectations for graduate school too high, as nothing could ever top my four years of undergrad at the University of Miami and UNC-Chapel Hill. Still, I try to capitalize on my time and the experiences that Tulane, New Orleans, and graduate school as a whole has to offer.

The Academics: The Easy "A"

    The first semester has not been too challenging to be quite honest, comparable to freshmen year of undergrad. Besides my constant battle with epidemiology, mastering course content, as reflected in my grades, has not even required as much effort as my final two years of undergraduate. In undergrad, maintaining a competitive academic record required a lot of time and effort. In graduate school, I'd be lying if I did not say I've been putting in minimal effort. Maybe that will change as I dig deeper into higher level, concentration-focused coursework. In terms of the caliber of students, Tulane's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine attracts a very wide-range of individuals; from individuals who just graduated undergrad in May, to people who've returned from the Peace Corps and/or career changers such as myself. For the most part, most students are very focused and hard working, however there are a few individuals that tend to make me raise my eyebrows. All of the professors that I have had the chance to learn from this semester are really knowledgeable in their content areas. Of all the public health programs that I researched, applied to, and was accepted to, Tulane definitely offered the best overall curriculum, which aligned perfectly with my public health and career interests. As I get further into my international health, program design, implementation, and evaluation, and maternal child and heath courses, I'm sure that I'll have a more optimistic perspective on the academics. For now, everything is very introductory, which can seem boring, tedious, and irrelevant at times. 

The Student Body: Small Yet Powerful

    As I pinpointed above, the student body is very diverse. If I had one bone to pick with the student body composition at Tulane's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine when comparing it to other programs, such as the MPH programs at Emory's Rollins School of Public an Johns Hopkins' Bloomberg School of Public Health, it would be that the students tend to be younger, and to not possess the same level of experience in the working world. A large concentration of the students are recent graduates, many of whom just finished their bachelor's degrees in May. At times, this implication makes it very hard to relate with others. While many of them have had the chance to study and volunteer abroad, as well as hold various internships during their undergraduate studies, many of them have never been out in the real world; never worked in a professional environment, having to collaborate in a real-world manner. Working on a group project for an upper level course in undergraduate is a lot different than designing and implementing a million dollar fundraising and advocacy  campaign to eradicate cardiovascular diseases and stroke. I do not view myself as better than them, though I do believe that I am older, wiser, and more experienced than them. When you have real world experience, you have a lot more to contribute in classroom discussions and hallway conversations. 

      On a separate note, many of the students are still stuck in what I will term "undergraduate socialization" mode. New Orleans is infamous for its drinking culture, more so than Miami. Being out of undergrad for the past three years and not exposed to the undergraduate culture, I've lost touch with drinking and "going out".  I believe in having a good time, however I do not believe that one has to drink to the point of "blacking out", and to the point where one's decisions become questionable. Walking down the halls of Tidewater, I overhear stories about people's weekend, and how they got so messed up, to the extent where they cannot even remember what they did. At 26, I'm not dying or anything, though I've experienced my fair share of debauchery and questionable moments, I'm looking for something more meaningful than a night that seems blurry the next morning, and I do not find having a banging headache the entire next day entirely fun.  

      Probably the most troubling component of the student body for me, is the gender distribution within the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Working in the nonprofit world, I do understand that there's a large gender divide, when compared to other industries, i.e. finance, law, and medicine. However, I did not expect to be one of three men in my particular concentration. I have no problem with socializing with females, I mean I do love me some girls. Though a man needs his bros, and time away from the females to "bro out". Not having that testosterone heavy outlet has not been easy for me. Coming from a very masculine heavy social life in Washington DC, I've been struggling with the lack of potential bros in the program. 

Social Life: I'm Dancing  On My Own

       As in any academic environment, of course there are going to be different cliques, each divided by cultural, racial, ethnic, and other factors. I've never been one to segregate myself to one specific group. I do not like to be tied down, I'm a leader not a follower. As I have already expressed, finding my niche within the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine has not been particularly easy. While I have met many individuals, and have made many new friends, I'm still not where I would like to be socially. Since I have not managed to find that fit at Tulane, I've been expanding my outreach to other clubs, organizations, and activities in New Orleans. I have not had much time to explore these other areas, though I'm hoping to find my fit within the Jewish community, PLAYNOLA kickball league, and other social outlets. I have no plans to extend my stay in New Orleans after December 2015, though it would be nice to have a few guys to shoot the bricks with once in a while. If all else fails, there's always Tinder and JDate to keep me busy. Joke..Haha.

The Graduate School-15 

    There's no doubt that New Orleans has the best food in the nation, if not the world. As an aspiring foodie, I've had a great time diving into all of the different cuisine that "The Big Easy" has to offer. Sadly, I'm sure this has resulted in unwanted weight gain. Battling a chronic condition that triggers pain in my core and back, makes it especially hard to workout to the extent that I used to before being diagnosed. I just started seeing a physical therapist in New Orleans, so I'm hoping that this will alleviate the pain and allow me to pursue my health, wellness and fitness endeavor in the near future.

The Skinny

   It's been a harder time adapting to graduate school than I had imagined. Academically, I'm settled, though there's still plenty room to grow in other areas. Until next time, keep paddling. 

The fire in the soul got me ready to fight, And I'm ready for war: Taking Graduate School by the Horns and Surviving NAWLINS

Take A Deep Breath, Freedom for a Hot Minute
    
Now that I'm officially done with my first set of graduate school midterms, I'm able to resume blogging. Slowly but surely, I'm getting more adjusted to my new habitat. After living in many different places and traveling to many regions of the world, I understand that there's no such thing as a perfect home. Even when it comes to domestic life, every family has its fair share of social challenges. New Orleans is a very unique place. Not a place that I can see myself living in post graduate school or raising a family, though definitely a place for the bucket list. If I had to be completely honest, New Orleans is one of the dirtiest places I've been to in the world. Maybe not quite as bad as the smog-infested cities in China, though it's definitely high up there on my list. Sometimes when walking in the French Quarter or driving down the checker board streets, I forget that I'm in the states. There's plenty of room for improvement as far as New Orleans' infrastructure goes, especially the damaged streets that are going to cause my car to have mechanical issues in due time. The quality of the roads and highways are piss poor to say the least. Moving outside of my car and on to the streets, it's a war zone! Even when walking down Saint Charles Avenue and Magazine Street, two of the more affluent areas in New Orleans, I never fail to be approached by a homeless person. These homeless people are not like the ones in Washington, DC or Boston, they'll give you lip if you unintentionally break their dreams. There's a reason that I do not carry bills in my wallet, so don't project your frustrations on to me when I am not able to magically produce dollars. In addition, I'm not going to contribute to your alcohol or drug fund. No joke, when walking down Decatur Street in the French Quarter, I saw signs and was approached by a few homeless individuals who explicitly asked me to contribute to their "Get Me Drunk Fund". If I'm going to share any of my hard earned money with you, it sure as hell will not be going to your "Get Me Drunk Fund". That's that for my rant on the motives of select homeless people here.

Celebrating 26 in New Orleans

Since my last entry, I had a birthday. Shockingly, I still feel and look the same (sarcasm for those slow at catching my humor). In order to welcome in the new age, my parents came to celebrate with me. My mother's first and last time visiting New Orleans. Looks like I won't be walking down the aisle of the Superdome, or at least I won't have my family in the crowds cheering me on. For those of you who do not live here, you should know that as locals we avoid Bourbon Street like the black plague. Every time a family member or friend visits, I must play tourist, put on my mask and walk down the vile streets of Bourbon. 

Having traveled to Las Vegas, spending time in the "Red-Light District" (Pat Pong) in Bangkok, and being exposed to other profane and provocative environments, I can confidently say that nothing quite compares to Bourbon Street. I'm not sure that I agree with some of the parenting that takes place on Bourbon Street, I for sure as hell know that I would not want to expose my newborn or young child to the derelicts of society. From the half exposed female adult entertainers to the drunk tourists (of all ages), it is not a place for children. Please reconsider your life decisions next time you decide to strap little Michelle to your chest or push newborn Nicholas down the trash-infested corridors. Though, I must admit that it was fun watching my mother strike a pose with the street artist. To contribute to the "tourist for a weekend" itinerary,  we decided to take a steamboat down the Mississippi. Unfortunately we didn't know that we'd be navigating rough seas in a re-enactment of "Cast Away". Ready for a change in scenery, my parents and I decided to see how the other half of Louisiana lives, and took a road trip to Tiger Country. I must admit that Baton Rouge, or at least where LSU is located, is a very quaint and clean area. I mean I won't be sending my children to LSU anytime soon nor do I feel upset that I did not apply or attend it for my undergrad, though it seems like it would be a great experience, especially for in-state residents.
   

        The real topping on the cake,  no pun intended, was learning that the one and only Sir Paul McCartney was performing at the Smoothie King Center (local concert venue in New Orleans) on October 11th, my birthday. Having grown up on the classics like The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel, and Elton John, I was so pumped that my parents wanted to surprise me and take me to the concert. Even though I wasn't alive to see all of the originals perform, I must say that I feel extra lucky to have seen Paul McCartney. The man has still got it; from his amazing vocals to his "studly" looks and captivating stage presence.

A Tar Heel Born, A Tar Heel Bred, And When I Die I'll Be Tar Heel Dead!
      

       I knew that nothing could live up to my undergrad experience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Still, I'm trying... and struggling to get sucked up into the green waves of Tulane. Students here are not fond of school-spirit. Even though Carolina blue has always been my favorite color, I've been trying very hard to incorporate Tulane's school colors into my daily attire. I'm a sucker for Sperry Top Siders boat shoes, having had a pair in Carolina Blue, I made it a priority to buy a pair in Tulane Green before moving to New Orleans. Now this shouldn't come as any surprise to anyone, though graduate school is on a different level than undergrad. I'm talking a night and day difference. Even though I try to be involved as much as I can, the options are not as plentiful, nor do I have the time to dedicate to extracurricular activities. My liver has obtained enough damage from my undergrad days and nights of debauchery in DC, so I'm not one who needs to go out every weekend night. I'm at the age where I'm ready to settle down when and if I find the right girl; someone to put me in my place, LOL. Moving away from social surroundings, academics at Tulane have exceeded my expectations. Aside from some of the simpler forms of "testing our knowledge", the course work has all been very engaging, and has been keeping me plenty busy. I know my blogs are redundant, though I must make mention that I came to graduate school with a different attitude and perspective than the one I brought with me to undergrad. Professors are very fair here so my grades are pretty solid, however I'm not focusing my time and energy on obtaining all A's. Graduate school, the struggle continues, that's life! Stay tuned!
 

"Even if things get heavy, We'll All Float On"...Almost 26 and Figuring Out the Game All Over Again

Foreword 
        So between a heavy 14-credit course load, 10-15 hour/week time commitment to my internship, entertaining out of state visitors, and diving into my new leadership responsibilities at the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, I have not had much time to breathe and write a meaningful blog entry until now. As you can probably tell from the title of this blog post, my relationship with graduate school could best be described as a love-hate one at this point in time. Transferring from school to school in my undergrad and moving to Washington DC without any support network, I'm not one who's foreign to the idea of "starting over". In fact, I view the task as a challenge, and always in time I fully adapt to my new surroundings, and conquer the experience in all forms.

A New Experience, A New Perspective

       As I pinpointed in an earlier blog post, the way that I view education is a night and day difference from how I did so during my undergrad at the University of Miami and UNC-Chapel Hill. Naively, I was so focused on my grades and overall GPA during my undergrad, while not really concerned with mastering the course material. In no way does this imply that I put in the least amount of work in order to get the grades I wanted, because many sleepless nights occurred in the UNC Undergraduate Library (UG) and Davis Library, and many hours were fully devoted to academics. When you enter the real world and begin your hunt for a 9-5 job, you quickly learn that people do not view you in terms of your numbers. Unless you're looking to be a robot and get recruited by highly selective technology companies, financial powerhouse and management consulting firms, no one cares where your degree came from, and if you graduated Summa Cum Laude or were inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society. Those place markers add value, though not as much as the actual experience that you've acquired in internships, volunteer opportunities, and leadership roles you may have served in for student organizations.
   
         Cracking that academic nut is taking longer than I anticipated for me. In high school and during my undergrad, I was able to train myself to spend multiple hours at a time in the library and stay as focused as a prepubescent boy who is realizing the beauty of females for the first time, without any additives such as Ritalin and caffeine pills. For the most part all of the material is extremely interesting and appealing. I mean don't get me wrong, there are those introductory core-level courses like Biostatistics and Epidemiology that are not especially of interest to me. Though we must do what it is required of us, play the game, and learn the so-called skills that we will use later in our careers. Right now, I roll my eyes, though hopefully I will put this knowledge to use in my future.

          Before committing to New Orleans, I knew that with any decision that there would be opportunity costs. As it has been presented in the media and basic common knowledge, New Orleans is not the safest place in the world. Being one of the more economically-challenged metropolitan areas in the South, it is home to a high crime rate. I'm not going to sugarcoat it, this factor definitely places limitation on my activities, including my study habits. At Miami and UNC-Chapel Hill, I felt entirely safe walking around campus all hours of the night. I cannot say the same about Tulane. The School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine "campus" is not located in the same vicinity as the undergraduate school, which arguably is located in a better area than the SPHTM. With that said, I'm still not sure I would feel safe walking to my car after a certain hour, which in turn affects my study habits. In addition, the libraries at Tulane are not very aesthetically pleasing. I've had conversations with other students who've expressed the same concerns to me. "It feels like a prison," as many have put it. There are no windows, there's a lot of construction taking place which makes it hard to access the facilities, and so on and so forth. All in all, the conditions and resources available to me to aid my ability to study safely and peacefully are not up to par, which is fine. Now that I know this, I'll just have to use my creativity to devise a new plan of action for study environments.

A Small Fish in A Big Pond

     Now I know we've only been here a little over a month, and while one might say that I do have a lot of friends, I'm still not at a place where I would feel comfortable for the next year and change. Do I have a lot of friends? Sure. Since I do not typically place labels to define my friendships, i.e. I do not have anyone that I'll ever address as a best friend, I take the term friend very seriously. I do not mean to offend any of my friends here in New Orleans, though I do not feel that I have really met people who I could confide in, and trust to be there to support me and rely on when I'm in need, and vice versa. I've taken a lot of blows to the face, as have others, and learned the hard way who my real friends are. I do not expect to leave graduate school with a posse of true friends. I've collected a couple of friends at each stage in my life, and have built a nice support network, and I would of course love to meet one or two people, who I can call groomsmen on my wedding day and so on, though it is not the sole reason or a motive of mine in graduate school.
     
     The nature of the beast is that I'm in a program that is dominated by females, similar to the conflict that I faced as a minority in the nonprofit development and event planning world. I have no problem with working with women and believe in equal rights for men, women, and those who identify as transgender and other gender classifications. Though, I would like to have some male camaraderie; a few brothers to share a beer with and watch some sports. I know, I know. I'm being very stereotypical and sexist right now, but just go with it and don't question me, :). Piled that on to the fact that graduate programs are much smaller than undergraduate, which makes it that much harder to find your niche in a small student body, especially one that has a small margin of males.

        I'm incredibly grateful to have the moral support of so many people who trust in my ability to create a memorable and meaningful experience for them, and look forward to doing my best in exceeding everyone's expectations with the collaboration of my co-chair.

Keep Paddling On

     It might seem that I've reached a point between a rock and a hard place. As should be expected in every experience and new adventure, there are going to be obstacles that you must not let slow you down and affect your optimistic outlook. Even if you fall in the river, you must use your strength to pull yourself up, get back into the boat, and continue paddling. That is just what I'm going to do. Nearly 26, and I'm still in my floaties.

Diving Into Graduate School and Global Health: Trying to Stay Afloat

     

Many have said that once you leave the academic world, it is much harder to re-enter. I used to roll my eyes when my peers used to warn me, responding in an arrogant and pompous tone. Though after being back in an academic environment for a little less than a month, I have to say that the adjustment is far more emotional and physical draining than I had anticipated. In no way do I regret my decision to return to school, I just underestimated the strain that it would have on my body. Growing up, I was always someone who was completely focused, to the extent that I was obsessed with my GPA. Constantly checking my grades on Blackboard and immersed in my textbooks, I always had to have the highest grade in the class, and be the person who set the curve on every examination. After living and working in the real world for the past three years, I came to graduate school with a completely different perspective. Struggling to find employment with a solid undergraduate GPA and degree from a renowned, top university, I began to undervalue my education, and the hours I spent obsessing over my individual grades. If you asked me what expectations I set for myself five years ago, I would've told you that I was going to graduate within the Top 1% of my graduating class, being recognized with the highest academic honors (Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude, and other academic status markers). Now, nearly 26 and three years out of undergrad, I am much more concerned with mastering the content and taking advantage of the vast amount of opportunities that are within my reach. Though, I'm finding it a daunting task at times to sit down and read chapter after chapter, teach myself elementary level binomial probability and normal distribution, and delve into graduate level coursework in its entirety. The material is all very interesting, it's more of an inner-battle with me and my attention span. They say once you know how to ride a bike, you never forget. While that may be true, it definitely takes some time for you to get back on the bike and ride at the Tour de France level, after being off of it for so long.  I know that it's all new to me, in time I will find my motivation and regress back to my undergraduate study habits.

      

 Graduate school is so much different than my undergraduate experience, as I expected it to be. There's a much larger spread in the types of students that are in graduate programs; individuals who just graduated undergrad and others who have been out of the academic game for more than five years, individuals who have families and others who are riding solo such as myself. Finding one's niche in an undergraduate environment is a much simpler task when compared to locating your fit at the graduate level. As an undergrad, you have option upon option when it comes to extracurricular activities. Being in an academic and professional realm that is highly dominated by women, the concentration of other like-minded males is at a bare minimum. While I may seem downhearted thus far, that's certainly not the case. I've met many wonderful people here at Tulane,  all of whom are unique and interesting in their own way. If I'm being completely honest, it's just taking me more time to adapt to this new environment and new town. 

Moving on to a more optimistic topic. Prior to giving my resignation to the American Heart Association and announcing my departure, I had made it a priority to find an internship for when I arrived to graduate school and New Orleans. Hours of research and blindly reaching out to organizations in New Orleans paid off. Last Wednesday, I began interning for a local humanitarian organization,  LearnToLive, whose mission is closely tied to providing health care services to the under-served in developing areas of Indonesia and South Africa, working towards making clean water available in low-resourced communities, and educating these communities on the basic fundamentals of personal health and one's well-being. When I first learned about this organization on Idealist and after digging on their website, I was determined to intern for this organization. After meeting with the Founder and Executive Director, I wanted this opportunity even more. I felt strong synergy and was hired on the spot, and I'm extremely excited to be working for such a young organization, which is growing quickly. The thought of being an intern after being a salaried professional in the nonprofit health world still feels weird, though I'm completely grateful to have this opportunity, and to work with such passionate and skilled individuals. As I take the first steps towards a career in global health consulting, I'm excited to report that I've had the opportunity to evaluate the metrics of a recent health program implemented in Indonesia. While the overlay of empirical data is foreign to me at times, it brings tears to my eyes to see the impact that individuals such as myself are making in the lives of at-risk individuals in poor Indonesian villages. 

   

      I've only been in New Orleans and a graduate student at Tulane for less than a month, and I am already feeling the pressure. With time, I know that the anxiety and emotions  will subside. I'm not promising another 4.0 GPA, it's been hard to achieve that since the sophomore year of undergrad.Though, it is with optimism, pride and a fighting mentality that I continue to paddle my way through these green waves. 

Challenging YOU To Do Something: September is Children's Cancer Awareness Month

       Eight years ago, the unimaginable happened. As humans we think that the worst will never happen to us; reality sets when we find ourselves in a hospital bed. As a child, I watched my father's best friend's son battle a rare form of leukemia. I remember questioning the cause and quietly thinking that it would never happen to me. Fast forward seven years later; I was a sixteen and a half year old teenager revising my plans. Take what you read about cancer from non reputable sources on the web with a little grain of salt; cancer is not glamorous. All cancers are bad; although some have higher survival rates and manageable course of treatments, all kinds can be life-threatening.

      Not only does September mark Children's Cancer Awareness Month, it coincidently also happens to be Hodgkin's Lymphoma Awareness Month. Losing your hair is something that is evident in most individuals' journey when they're diagnosed with cancer; it's one of the things that raises the most heartache and concern for females and others conscious of their vanity. I might not have wanted to lose my hair, though there was no fighting it. It was going to happen, just something that I had to accept and embrace. Today, a spotless head is a scar that I voluntarily choose to wear every September or March (weather permitting). It reminds me of a dark time in my life; one that people do not choose if given the choice. Flip the coin, it reminds me of a transformational period in my life; one that made me mature faster and a more socially responsible individual. No one wants to have the conversation with a doctor that begins with the words, "You have cancer...", nor does anyone want to hear about cancer in a public setting. Though, it's a conversation that we as a society must have; educating others, raising awareness, and procuring funds geared towards  research, the development of life-saving prevention programs, as well as programs to make access to quality treatment and delivery of health services open to everyone, are all crucial to protecting our children. I think we can all agree, we'd rather have the prevention conversation over the survival conversation.

     Prior to moving to Washington, DC and facing long and hellish winters, I would shave my head every March to raise awareness and funds for children's cancer awareness; an active participant and leader of the St. Baldrick's Foundation movement to educate the community and procure funds for vital research. Starting last year, I added a new element to my yearly haircut that left me bald. Barbers might question the number that I request for them to shape into the back of my head, chuckling as I try to get to words out of my mouth. Heads may turn, causing people to have looks of confusion. I wear my number proudly, walking straight with my head held high, and a huge smirk across my face.


        "8" does not represent the number that sits on the back of the jersey of one of my favorite athletes, the number of nights during Hanukkah, or a lucky number of mine. For me it's something much more meaningful and deeper, "8" represents survival, celebration, and inspiration. The number "8" brings hope and joy to my ears and eyes, brings inspiration to children battling cancer, and lastly brings motivation to doctors and scientists alike; forcing them to work harder and smarter.

       There has been such camaraderie built around the ALS Water Bucket Challenge. A lot of you have surprised me, partaking in the water bucket challenge, donating thousands among millions of dollars to the ALS Foundation, and all together collaborating on an earth shattering moment for the ALS Society. While I may have questioned people's motives and the methods that ALS utilized to carry out their campaign, there's no question, it has had an incredibly positive impact in the way we fundraise, advocate, and educate.

      With that said, I am challenging each and every one of you to do something to help move along the mission of organizations like the St. Baldrick's Foundation, CureSearch for Children's Cancer, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, St. Jude Children's Hospital/ALSAC, and the many other organizations and foundations that play instrumental roles in the prevention of cancer, as well as the protection. Your act of raising awareness can be as simple as volunteering at a children's hospital, or as big and bold as shaving your head in order to show solidarity for children undergoing treatment for all types of cancer; showing them that being bald is no big deal! Ready, set, go!

Getting On My Vessel and Riding the Green Waves!

      It was only two weeks ago that I was closing up all of my accounts and responsibilities as the SEA of Lawyers Have Heart at American Heart Association | American Stroke Association, and packing up my apartment and saying goodbyes to my friends, colleagues, and acquaintances in the Washington, D.C. Metro Area. The thought of putting on a backpack, spending hours conducting researching, analyzing underlying issues in developing countries, and writing research papers, seems foreign to me right now. I'm not nervous, I'm excited and ready for the challenges that await me in the next two years in New Orleans and abroad, as I set out into the world to design, implement, and evaluate life-saving health programs for mothers and children alike. 

      

     As I stepped into the foyer of the Tidewater Building, reality began to set in. Seeing the welcome sign ignited a spark inside of me, it was not long until I began to spread my infectious, positive attitude and passion with my future classmates. Migrating from table to table and individual to individual, I was beginning to feel back in my element. Diversity is a highly valued characteristic in my book. From my first impression, I could not be more pleased with the amount of diversity that lies among the student body, academic faculty, and staff of the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. With students from all parts of the world; stretching from my backyard in South Florida to Humphrey Fellows from China, there really is a wide array of individuals who share similar interests, and a collective goal to bring effective and sustainable solutions, both domestically and internationally, to low-income and low-resource communities that are subjected to social, economic, and political obstacles. Unlike other public health programs, Tulane really focuses on supplying students with the technical skills, knowledge, and resources needed to implement change in the form of sustainable solutions. 

      One of the factors that sets Tulane apart from institutions like Johns Hopkins and Emory, is the large community feel, that both Tulane and New Orleans have been known for, for  many year. Although New Orleans is conveniently located in the southeastern region of Louisiana, it feels very much like a third-world country. Even though I am living in one of the most affluent areas of this rustic city, blocks away I can witness the amount of poverty, crime, and struggle that the citizens of New Orleans face on a day-to-day basis.  Driving straight down Jackson Ave, which borders my apartment complex, there are homes that are dilapidated; shacks if I'm being politically correct. Having the opportunity to travel to the Caribbean on many occasions, I see a lot of similarities in the city of New Orleans. New Orleans, although rich in culture and history, is a hotbed of social and economic issues. Compared to other universities, I do not believe that other public health programs offer the same opportunities that individuals are able to experience in terms of having that true real-world, hands on experience of working in an at-risk community. Months before I made my decision, I began heavily researching organizations in the area, and I am looking forward to working with many of them during my time here.

      I've only been here two days, classes have not even started yet. All of my courses have been selected, and I'm ready to turn on my flashlight and start my scavenger hunt. I know that this blog might seems irrelevant, though I can promise that my next blog will have a lot more public health content. 

     Bienvenue to TULANE! Hold on tight, it's going to be a long, bumpy, though a ride that will be worth it through these Green Waves ahead. I'm strapping on my life vest, in preparation for the wipeouts that lie ahead. I advise you do the same thing! Life is not meant to be a calm ocean, storms prepare us for the real challenges that lie ahead. With that said, let's ride the GREEN WAVE!