Télyse is a rising senior at Vanderbilt University studying Medicine, Health, & Society and Sociology on the pre-law track. This summer she is a Global Health Policy Center intern with the Center for Strategic International Studies.
Why is public service important to you?
Growing up I was surrounded by family members who dedicated their lives to public service. My mother has been a social worker and is currently an elementary school teacher. When I was younger, my dad managed pro-bono legal services for low-income families who couldn’t afford it. My step-dad is a homicide detective committed to keeping my city safe. Public service isn’t just important to me – it’s a trait I’ve inherited, just like my dimple or unruly eyebrows.
For that reason, giving back to my community makes me feel a bit nostalgic. For example, (I know it’s strange but) I love to donate blood at our community blood center, because it’s something my mom and I did regularly throughout my childhood. When I became old enough, we’d go together every eight weeks. Public service has always been a way for me to feel closer to my family. Undeniably, doing something for the sake of others just makes you feel good and in my experience, it makes me feel at home.
Why did you decide to spend your summer with CAPAL?
CAPAL’s focus on AANHPI-specific public service attracted me to the program. I could spend hours talking about reproductive justice initiatives, the important of sexual assault prevention programs, and access to affordable healthcare. But I’ve never been in spaces that actively incorporated AAHNPIs into their discussions about justice. Despite identifying personally as Native American and Pacific Islander, my family has never really reckoned with our “AANHPI-ness.” I’m hoping the CAPAL program facilitates the dialogue I’ve been missing. I chose it for the important opportunity to locate the intersections of my identity and all the other issues about which I’m passionate.
What are the projects that you’re working on this summer and how are they connected to your interests in public service?
In a very different way, my internship with the Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS) allows me to grapple with some of the same issues CAPAL does: equity, identity, and political movements. I’ve been assigned a variety of projects, but all of them center around the topic of public health. I craft regular news briefs for the Global Health Policy Center. I’ve brainstormed interviewees for a podcast episode about the opioids crisis. I’ve written summaries for Congressional hearings about pandemic preparedness. I helped write speakers’ bios for ambassadors and UNAID officials who came for a panel the office hosted on maternal mortality. Most recently, I’ve been tasked with compiling research about healthcare delivery for internally displaced persons affected by violence.
In all of these tasks, small or large, I’m getting the privilege of diving into the field of global public health. Sometimes it’s hard to see from my vantage point, but I know that my contributions are making a meaningful impact on health policy. I’ve seen my work utilized for some really cool events; for example, bios I wrote were printed out for hundreds of people at a maternal health conference, my boss is taking a briefing I worked on about HIV/AIDS policy to a conference in Amsterdam, and soundbites I’ve found will be featured in an upcoming podcast. I am a valuable part of the think tank process, and think tanks are a valuable part of policy development overall. Playing whatever role I can makes me feel like an important cog furthering the goals of a health policy machine.
What do you do in your free time?
In my free time I really enjoy listening to podcasts (Codeswitch and Hidden Brain are two of my favorites!) and weight lifting.
What is the best piece of advice you have received?
I often ask my mentors or other experienced professionals “how did you get to this point in your career?” Often I’m expecting a calculated plan, one that I can take bits and pieces from to inform my journey. However, recently when I asked a mentor that question she responded “I’ll tell you my story, but I want you to know that there’s no way I could have predicted I’d be here at your age.” And this was surprisingly reassuring. My mentor explained that I cannot create a blueprint for my career – it wouldn’t be that simple. She said sometimes you’ll end up in certain places and you won’t know how you got there, but each internship, job, or opportunity is another place for growth and development. I was encouraged that some of the most successful people I know weren’t planning for it. They stayed passionate, they were motivated by their values, and found themselves where they are now.
Meet all of our CAPAL Scholars & Interns here.
Sharon Le is a rising third-year student at the University of Virginia, double majoring in Psychology and Spanish, on the Pre-Law track. Sharon served as the External Vice President for the Vietnamese Student Association (VSA@UVA) the past year, and is also involved in Phi Alpha Delta – the International Pre-Law Fraternity, and the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Team at the University. She was greatly exposed to the Asian Pacific American representation not only through her involvement with the Vietnamese community in Northern Virginia with VSA but also through her background – having grown up in Vietnam and moving to America in high school. Sharon hopes to promote Asian Pacific American leadership with her commitments and to give the community a bigger voice in the country.