Another semester has come and gone! Hours of stress and anger and excitement have all taken me one year closer to...well...somewhere. And, I trust that someone (hi parents!) missed my periodic updates over the past couple of months.
Well, monthly summer blogging is starting, so stay tuned! But to make up for the adventures you missed following with me, here are my top 10 moments of this past semester:
#10 - Completing my final semester of coursework
Seven courses focused on child protection, program leadership, and research methods - check! My insane course schedule kept me off the map but I am proud to say that I survived. Would I dream of going through an intensive schedule like that again? Probably not. But I can tell you I'm 10 times stronger for it!
#9 - Presenting at the Harvard Child Health Symposium
Whether or not you're in public health, there's something about promoting early childhood development and preventing violence against children that makes a lot of sense. Mistreating children (think: an abusive caregiver that uses unnecessary physical, emotional, or sexual acts) can have a profound impact on how a person development, especially in the first few years of life, when the human brain is still taking shape. I'm excited that this project, two years in the making, is finally coming to an end so my focus can shift toward adolescent and youth populations in some of the most difficult situations globally.
# 8 - Attending a Nico and Vinz concert (opened by Jason French)
So. Much. Fun. (Truthfully, it's Top 5, but I thought my list could use some non-academic fun!) It was small, intimate setting. I was there with some of my best friends. I was reminded how much I love good music, Africans, and men who can dance! I mean, you tell me, "am I wrong?"
#7 - Retreats
A friend of mine joked that I'm always at a retreat. In truth, I only went on two (ok, three), and they were all wonderful opportunities to get away and put a new perspective on life! Shout out to the Harvard Graduate Student Leadership Institute for including me in the incredible 2015 cohort of student leaders!
#6 - Leading critical dialogue on power, privilege, and professional development
So, yes, I'm a nerd. We already knew that. But I have to say I felt so excited to have platforms to lead critical dialogue on how parts of our social identities affect the work that we do. Race, as one example, has taken a front-seat in the U.S. following several public incidents of discrimination and brutality in policing. And though it's rarely discussed, this does affect the work that we as professionals in health and development do. Whether through leading a dialogue at the Global Health Corps retreat, coordinating a sub-group in the Dean's diversity and inclusion committee at my institution, or supporting the development of a course on power and privilege, I've been working to truly promote productive dialogue on these issues.
#5 - Site visits to the United Nations
Anyone who knows me knows how important I think the United Nations system is to making change globally, especially when thinking about the youngest and most vulnerable populations. So what better way to learn more about this system than through visiting!
#4 - Observing the Independent Panel for Ebola Response
It was just Julio Frenk, former Minister of Health for Mexico; Eric Goosby, Ambassador and former U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator; Muhmamed Ali Pate, former Minister of State for Health in Nigeria; Peter Piot, a well-known leader in the discovery and response to HIV/AIDS and Ebola...twenty or so other notable individuals...and me! How cool!
#3- Getting out of the snow
Amen!
#2 - Traveling
You've seen the posts on Ethiopia, Burundi, and Jamaica....what more is there to say?
#1 - Ticking items off my bucket list
Jamaica...parasailing...and other things that I'll leave a mystery for online readers...This was a semester of action, where I not only talked about the things I've always wanted to do for myself but I did them! So excited for those I got to share those moments with and lucky for the rest of you, the list continues....
So with that, I end another semester, and another chapter, in the life of this D.I.V.A.
Well, monthly summer blogging is starting, so stay tuned! But to make up for the adventures you missed following with me, here are my top 10 moments of this past semester:
#10 - Completing my final semester of coursework
Seven courses focused on child protection, program leadership, and research methods - check! My insane course schedule kept me off the map but I am proud to say that I survived. Would I dream of going through an intensive schedule like that again? Probably not. But I can tell you I'm 10 times stronger for it!
 |
| Kennedy School Authentic Leadership Development class |
#9 - Presenting at the Harvard Child Health Symposium
Whether or not you're in public health, there's something about promoting early childhood development and preventing violence against children that makes a lot of sense. Mistreating children (think: an abusive caregiver that uses unnecessary physical, emotional, or sexual acts) can have a profound impact on how a person development, especially in the first few years of life, when the human brain is still taking shape. I'm excited that this project, two years in the making, is finally coming to an end so my focus can shift toward adolescent and youth populations in some of the most difficult situations globally.
# 8 - Attending a Nico and Vinz concert (opened by Jason French)
So. Much. Fun. (Truthfully, it's Top 5, but I thought my list could use some non-academic fun!) It was small, intimate setting. I was there with some of my best friends. I was reminded how much I love good music, Africans, and men who can dance! I mean, you tell me, "am I wrong?"
#7 - Retreats
A friend of mine joked that I'm always at a retreat. In truth, I only went on two (ok, three), and they were all wonderful opportunities to get away and put a new perspective on life! Shout out to the Harvard Graduate Student Leadership Institute for including me in the incredible 2015 cohort of student leaders!
#6 - Leading critical dialogue on power, privilege, and professional development
So, yes, I'm a nerd. We already knew that. But I have to say I felt so excited to have platforms to lead critical dialogue on how parts of our social identities affect the work that we do. Race, as one example, has taken a front-seat in the U.S. following several public incidents of discrimination and brutality in policing. And though it's rarely discussed, this does affect the work that we as professionals in health and development do. Whether through leading a dialogue at the Global Health Corps retreat, coordinating a sub-group in the Dean's diversity and inclusion committee at my institution, or supporting the development of a course on power and privilege, I've been working to truly promote productive dialogue on these issues.
#5 - Site visits to the United Nations
Anyone who knows me knows how important I think the United Nations system is to making change globally, especially when thinking about the youngest and most vulnerable populations. So what better way to learn more about this system than through visiting!
#4 - Observing the Independent Panel for Ebola Response
It was just Julio Frenk, former Minister of Health for Mexico; Eric Goosby, Ambassador and former U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator; Muhmamed Ali Pate, former Minister of State for Health in Nigeria; Peter Piot, a well-known leader in the discovery and response to HIV/AIDS and Ebola...twenty or so other notable individuals...and me! How cool!
#3- Getting out of the snow
Amen!
#2 - Traveling
You've seen the posts on Ethiopia, Burundi, and Jamaica....what more is there to say?
#1 - Ticking items off my bucket list
Jamaica...parasailing...and other things that I'll leave a mystery for online readers...This was a semester of action, where I not only talked about the things I've always wanted to do for myself but I did them! So excited for those I got to share those moments with and lucky for the rest of you, the list continues....
 |
| Graduation 2015 (only a few years til it's me!) |
"The only way to do things is to do things"
- Pino Bros Ink
(Couldn't have said it better myself)
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