{"id":9163,"date":"2016-08-15T11:00:55","date_gmt":"2016-08-15T15:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.capal.org\/?p=9163"},"modified":"2019-03-15T14:29:12","modified_gmt":"2019-03-15T14:29:12","slug":"capal-intern-spotlight-ashley-truong-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.capal.org\/site\/capal-intern-spotlight-ashley-truong-16\/","title":{"rendered":"CAPAL Intern Spotlight Ashley Truong ’16"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"\"What was the moment in your life when you realized you wanted to explore\u00a0public service?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Before coming to Brown, I had my mind set on going to medical school. I wanted to become a\u00a0physician who would provide female reproductive care to women in underdeveloped\u00a0communities and developing countries. However, my perspective changed as I took more Public\u00a0Health courses in college. I realized that I wanted to affect change on a larger scale through\u00a0policy work. Through working in the public service sector, I hope to develop and help implement\u00a0programs that not only increase access to birth control and female reproductive care, but also\u00a0create infrastructure that can foster sustainable change.<\/p>\n

\"\"What are your main responsibilities at your position? What are you looking\u00a0<\/strong>forward to the most in your position?<\/strong><\/p>\n

This summer I am part of the single family housing team at the USDA Rural Development in\u00a0Richmond, working on their Section 504 Home Repair program. My primary project for the\u00a0summer is to gather information about programs in Virginia that provide financial assistance for\u00a0home repair services to low-income and\/or elderly individuals. This information will be used as a\u00a0resource to help the loan specialists connect our clients with additional resources to rehabilitate\u00a0their homes. I am most looking forward to meeting the people we are helping at site visits.<\/p>\n

\"\"How does this internship help you with your professional goals?\/What do you\u00a0want to get out of it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although I hope to eventually pursue a career at the CDC or WHO as an epidemiologist, my\u00a0internship with the USDA Rural Development has helped me grow tremendously as a student. In\u00a0my courses at Brown, I have focused mostly on public health issues in urban areas or in\u00a0developing countries, so it has been really interesting to learn more about the barriers and health\u00a0disparities individuals face in rural America. This internship helps remind me how\u00a0interdisciplinary the field of public health is. While my project at Rural Development may not\u00a0appear to directly relate to public health, the safety and health hazards present in most all of the\u00a0homes we are helping to rehabilitate pose serious health risks and severely diminish an\u00a0individual\u2019s quality of life.<\/p>\n

What motivates you?\"\"
\n<\/strong>My mom’s story\u2014graduating from college\u00a0without the emotional or financial support of her\u00a0family\u2014inspires me to continue with my studies. My grandfather’s story\u2014striving for the\u00a0elusive \u201cAmerican Dream\u201d while struggling with acculturation\u2014inspires me to focus on public\u00a0health. My belief in tempering idealism with pragmatism inspires me to find solutions that\u00a0address the social determinants of health.<\/p>\n

What is something that most people would not know about you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most people don’t know that I am twelve years older than my youngest brother. Before college, I\u00a0used to pick him up from school everyday, so we are actually very close despite the age\u00a0difference.<\/p>\n

When you get off work, what do you do? What are your weekend activities?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I’ll be honest and say that I began the summer with big ambitions. In addition to making a\u00a0summer reading list, I also packed five novels in my suitcase. Most days when I get home\u00a0though, I am too exhausted to do anything more than go to the gym and watch Gilmore Girls on\u00a0Netflix. On weekends, I really enjoy walking to the nearby coffee shop and reading at the tables\u00a0by the window. I also go on food adventures with the other Rural Development intern, Abby, to\u00a0explore the vegan and vegetarian options Richmond has to offer.<\/p>\n

Ashley Truong is a rising Junior at Brown University studying Public Health. She is an undergraduate research assistant at the School of Public Health in the Epidemiology department. The project she is working on investigates the health consequences of environmental chemical exposures in pregnant women and children. While at Brown, she has served as the Director of Finances for GlobeMed, and is now the new Co-Director of Campaigns. Her passion for social justice motivates her to study global health disparities and to find solutions that address the racial and gender biases that inform our collective understanding of health.<\/em><\/p>\n

Meet all of our CAPAL Scholars & Interns\u00a0here.<\/a><\/h3>\n
\n

Posted by Felicia Wong<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"Felicia Wong is currently a senior at the College of William and Mary, double majoring in Neuroscience and Asian American Studies, and minoring in Biochemistry. She is president of the Filipino American Student Association, and current non-academic projects include creating films calling for diversity curriculums\/requirements and establishing an official APIA Studies program. Felicia was also elected president of Global Medical Brigades to lead a sustainable healthcare program in rural communities in Nicaragua. She hopes to connect her interests in healthcare with the community she has found in her cultural background. Having lived in Germany for most of her childhood, Felicia makes yearly trips back to visit her family, providing opportunities for her to indulge in her greatest joys: touring castles, eating at caf\u00e9s, taking fashion cues from strangers, cooking with her family. Non-country specific pleasures include: biking, watching live music performances, screaming because Game of Thrones.<\/em><\/p>\n

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