Previous Story
GMS Scholar undergoes CDC internship
|
Posted on Jul 12 2016
The CNMI’s first Gates Millennium Scholar, Samantha A’ani Birmingham-Babauta, recently graduated from California State University, Northridge, where she studied Kinesiology with a concentration in Applied Fitness and Healthy Lifestyle. (Gustavo Lopez)
The CNMI’s first Gates Millennium Scholar, Samantha A’ani Birmingham-Babauta, is spending her summer as an intern under the Center for Disease Control’s Undergraduate Public Health Scholars Program. The program consists of six internship opportunities creating a public health workplace experience to increase student interest in minority health, according to the program’s website.
As an intern under the Maternal Child Health Careers and the Research Initiative for Student Enhancement department, she will be focusing on eliminating health disparities and promotion healthy equity.
The 22-year-old recently graduated from California State University, Northridge, where she studied Kinesiology with a concentration in Applied Fitness and Healthy Lifestyle.
“I have always been avid about fitness and healthy living since being in middle school. I played tons of sports throughout high school, and have been working in the fitness industry since I was 17,” the Marianas High School alumna told Saipan Tribune. “… I found the field of Kinesiology and discovered that my calling was to use exercise as both preventative healthcare and prescribed medicine to those with chronic diseases.”
In preparation for the intensive program, Birmingham-Babauta also spent time training at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland and the Center of Disease Control office in Atlanta, Georgia.
“Since I’m coming from a kinesiology background wanting to pursue a Masters in Public Health, I thought this program would be advantageous to my future goals,” she explained. Birmingham-Babauta will take part in tasks ranging from education and outreach to policy advocacy and program development.
She wants to remind the islands’ youth that success will follow passion. “If the passion is there, then the success will follow. Don’t expect to have a smooth journey, and stay open minded to change,” she said.
She added that her future plans include returning home to give back to the community.
“Hopefully that is sooner that later, but currently, I am focused on obtaining the most experience and knowledge to be able to give back in a way that is effective in addressing the health disparities in our community,” she said.
