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Cultural Competency
Study Abroad: Global Health in Cuba
Taking Global Health in Cuba provided me with true insight into the healthcare of other nations. I was able to meet extremely friendly people and learned part of the reason why: Cuba's economy is dependent on tourism. I learned to dance Rumba, learned about the Santeria religion, and saw a multitude of artwork and dance performances. I was able to learn some of the customs and struggles of local people; such as the struggle of finding bottled water, where to go to find local dance floors or food, and how to congregate at local parks to get Wifi. I visited famous landmarks, made myself quite familiar with Old Habana, stayed near clear blue beaches, and rode in classic convertibles.Â
Additionally, we visited tobacco farms, local and specialty clinics, maternal hospitals, rural doctors, and local activists groups.
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To the left, I have attached the presentation my group presented to a future Global Health course.
Volunteering
My volunteer experiences first began in 2015. The first volunteer work I did was with homeless communities in Skid Row through organizations such as Midnight Mission, St. Francis Center, and a local church group. The primary work done involved food distribution in streets and at the center meal times, distributing pantry/clothing items, and welcoming/directing guests.
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I also volunteered at the Villa Elena HealthCare recreation center for senior citizens throughout this time. As a volunteer, I helped organize activities, assisted patients in doing the activities, and helped with moving patients to their room and communicating needs to the supervisor.
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Before becoming a paraeducator in 2016, I was a volunteer at a preschool where I provided support to teachers and students. I helped prepare activities/homework, worked with kids in groups to do the activity, and assisted with supervising children.
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While working as a paraeducator I became an outreach "Wellness Warrior" volunteer from 2017-2019. Through this role, I helped provide health resources and education to students at Cal State Long Beach.
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In 2018 and 2019, I volunteered with the Long Beach Health Department's tobacco youth purchase survey and as a Healthy Stores Healthy Communities (HSHC) tobacco education program extern during my breaks.
Through school clubs, I volunteered for the Urban Community Outreach food/clothes distribution for homeless communities in Long Beach, an American Red Cross blood drive, and a Be the Match bone marrow event. I also volunteered for a community garden in Compton focused on providing mentorship and college role models to young children.
After transitioning to full-time work, I was able to volunteer for the Compton initiative. During these events, the goal is to beautify the city, as can be seen by my efforts to clean up a school patio. Although the result was pretty good, I am currently not offering these services (maybe someday...)!
These experiences have shaped me in practicing humility and in my ideas of leadership. I believe in a service style of leadership and have been able to apply it with a wide range of cultures, perspectives, and people of all ages. I am honored to have come into contact with all the people I have met through volunteering and hope to continue giving back to many underserved groups./clothing items, and welcoming/directing guests.
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