Kharen Morgan gained experience in using social media platforms to address health disparities during her internship with the UA's Asian Pacific American Student Affairs.
How did your UA experience prepare you for your internship?
It was my networking skills that helped me secure the internship. I’ve worked for the Diversity of Inclusion (DOI) located on the University campus for several semesters, and in this work, I had already worked with the Cultural Centers Student Directors. So, when Asian Pacific American Student Affairs job opening was shared, I applied to be an intern with them and was selected.
What was the focus of your internship?
The director and I discussed that my goal with APASA would be to create posts that would spread awareness about health disparities involving the Asian Community. The reason I chose this internship was to get a better background knowledge about the health disparities that challenge the Asian community on campus and as a whole. The transferable skills I gained from the experience include improving my communication skills with different individuals and using my creative ability to create social media posts to alert people about certain health problems. You can see one of my posts here.
Being involved with a community that faces health problems opened up my mind on what field I would like to get my masters and doctoral degree in - public health. Getting hands-on experience is very crucial to the field, and I’m glad I was open to this new experience to gain valuable insight.