Facilitate the Nourishing our Neighbors Program

I currently work at the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore, as the East Regional Community Impact coordinator. In this role, I am privileged to coordinate the Nourishing our Neighbors program, where the foodbank distributes fresh produce and healthy foods to feed families with children in communities where there is high food insecurity and high poverty rates. The program feeds over 1000 children every month. 

Leading his program has provided me with hands-on experience in implementing public health interventions. This experience has helped me to develop practical skills that are not always taught in a classroom setting. For instance, I was tasked to identify more sites to invite into the program. I started with identifying title 1 schools in our service area that would greatly benefit from the food distribution program. I also learned how to design and implement his program, collect and analyze data and work with community partners to achieve a common goal.

Leading my IPE group 

In the fall of 2020 and spring 2022 semesters, students from different disciplines in the college of health sciences were brought together to participate in an IPE project. The purpose of the project was to gain experience with interprofessional collaboration. In the fall of 2020 public health students lead the charge to develop a health plan for a scenario involving a student-athlete that suffered a great fall and also had COVID-19. As the leader of the group helped me to develop leadership and teamwork skills. I was responsible to guide the group toward a common goal, delegating tasks and responsibilities in addition to resolving conflicts. Through the process, I learned how to motivate and engage team members and manage priorities.

In the Spring of 2022, the college of health sciences was brought together again to address a solution for our target audience and public health issue. This time there were some students who were unfamiliar with the IPE project. Because of the skills ascertained from the fall semester, I was chosen to lead this group to achieve our desired outcome. Through this collaboration, I was exposed to diverse perspectives and approaches. I learned new approaches to problem-solving and gained a broader perspective on public health issues. The IPE project deepened my understanding of project management. I learned how to develop a project timeline, set realistic goals, track progress, and adjust as necessary. Overall I enjoyed learning and deploying the skills acquired from this experience. 

Took the lead on identifying sites for the 757 Mobile Market

The 757 Mobile Market provides healthy, nutritious food directly to families and individuals with limited food access. I was fortunate to be on the team to relaunch the 757 Mobile Market in Virginia Beach. This relaunch effort required the recruitment of new sites, new points of contact, and new relationships in the community. I took the lead on identifying and connecting with those potential sites to join our relaunch of the program.  Leading this effort helped to develop skills in community engagement and collaboration. I identified and engaged with potential partners to build relationships with church leaders, mobile home managers, and more to work collaboratively to achieve the relaunch of the mobile market. By engaging with these community members I was able to gain insights into the challenges and strengths of the community. I learned the Mobile Home community had a large Hispanic population. This informed the design of program planning, and health communication in order for the relaunch to be effective. Through the process of engaging with the community members, I was able to identify priorities and develop targeted interventions that addressed the needs of all communities represented. This leadership opportunity helped deepen my understanding of community needs and develop skills in needs assessment and program planning and implementation.