EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In this portfolio, I reflect on my time at the University of Florida (UF), explain my academic projects, organizations and other extracurriculars I completed, and discuss my overall health beliefs. The bar at the top of the webpage will help with navigating the different areas of my portfolio. The homepage introduces the portfolio and includes links to each page outside of the menu. The Introduction tab also includes my Personal Philosophy and Résumé. The Personal Philosophy describes what I value, and think is important as a health educator. I also explain how I will put my health philosophy into practice as a future health educator.
The Academic Preparation tab includes three of my past academic projects during my time as a Health Education major. I have included the projects I was most proud of and believe best represent my academic career. The first project included is Vegetarianism Video, which was a YouTube video for Nutrition Education (HSC4574). In this video, I explained vegetarianism by answering commonly asked questions of those who are considering or recently became vegetarian. The second project includes is an Adobe Spark Presentation that outlined a health program I developed called STD Awareness Health Program for Planning and Evaluating Health Education (HSC4713). My project was a week-long health fair for college students, specifically in Gainesville, FL. The health fair focused on educating the students about sexually transmitted diseases (STD), STD testing, and different prevention methods, while also having fun activities and handouts. The final project included is my “Capstone Paper”, which I wrote for Community and Environmental Health (HSC3201). This paper focused on the importance of having a community health program for children with asthma, especially those in underserved or minority communities, to empower them to take individual control over their disease. As someone who has asthma and has had it since I was three, this paper was one that I was very passionate about and enjoyed writing.
In addition to Academic Preparation, the Practical Experience tab details three projects where I applied what I learned from Health Education and Behavior in a setting outside of school. While all my projects took place at my internship site, each project targeted a different population within my internship. One project focused on one of my weekly lessons for the children of Baby Gator. I had children between the ages of six weeks and three years old, so I had to be conscientious about making my lessons age-appropriate and fun. Another project focused on improving the health of the Baby Gator staff through a staff challenge. The three Baby Gator centers had a competition to see who could get the most steps in over the course of a week. The other interns and I created a flier to show the benefits of walking and how they could increase their daily step count.  The final project focused on informing the Baby Gator families on my role as PHIT Kid Intern. I sent out a newsletter to the parents explaining what I did as PHIT Kids Intern, the lessons I was teaching the kids, and my goals for the semester. I felt it was important for the parents to know what their kids were learning so they could stay informed and continue the lessons at home.
The Extracurriculars tab highlights three organizations and/or experiences I took part in during my four years at the University of Florida. These extracurriculars were experiences that I was passionate about and helped me explore different interests that were outside of my major. The first was my sorority, Theta Alpha. In this section, I discuss how I learned the necessity of being part of a community that pushed you to grow and try new activities or experiences. The second was Delight Ministries, which I was an active member of and leader for two years. I reflect about my skillset as a leader and how I was challenged to explore different areas of being a leader that do not come naturally to me. The third experience was my study abroad experience with UF’s College of Nursing at Coventry University in the United Kingdom. I got to experience a new culture, travel to places I had never been before, and learn about everything from the UK’s healthcare system to expertly using a transportation system that was new to me. These experiences helped me grow as a student and individual.
The final tab, Conclusion, is a reflection about my time as a Health Education and Behavior student. In this section, I look back at everything I have done—academic projects, internship experience, extracurricular activities—and how these experiences will help me in my future career. This section reminded me of everything I have accomplished at UF and made me proud to be a University of Florida graduate.