Several of our MCH students attended the 2021 American Public Health Association (APHA) conference, October 24-27, in-person or online. What follows is a post from one of the attendees.
By Tiwani Oseni, BS
This year has marked a lot of firsts for me. I finished my first year of grad school, executed my first public health job experience, and most excitedly attended my first (in-person) APHA conference! Last year, I had the privilege of attending APHA virtually. Although it was rewarding and informative, the virtual format was not the best fit for me. Attending APHA from the same room where I did homework, work from home duties, and meetings didn’t give APHA that spark I needed to be excited. This year, however, was the complete opposite. The chilly Denver air mixed with seeing new random faces every day helped aid in excitement and joy for my first in-person conference.
Joy and excitement were recurrent feelings that I felt through APHA, but the feeling of relief really stuck with me. Earlier this year when planning life after graduation, I came to the realization that I had a public health identity crisis. To me, this meant that I had no idea what I wanted to do with my MPH degree. I had an inkling that I would take the health communications route but continuously switched to possibly becoming an analyst. Then after realizing that quantitative data and I don’t mix, I felt very apprehensive and honestly scared. Fast forward to APHA, and those feelings are finally long gone! After attending the Public Health’s Identity Crisis session, I felt heard, seen, and most importantly relieved. This session focused on using transferable skills from various industries and creating your own unique role in public health. This session stuck with me, as it had me face the realities of job searching while at an advanced level of public health. Because of this session, I have decided to stick with my love for health communications and delve into what that can actually mean for me. With my positive experience in health content creation, creating health-centered podcasts, and acting as a health resource for various peers, the choice was obvious!
Tiwani Oseni, BS is a second-year MPH student concentrating in Health Education & Communications and earning a certificate in Maternal and Child Health. She plans to graduate in May 2022. Her interests include health promotion, community health, and maternal mortality in underrepresented communities.
