PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT

Public Health is the science that focuses on promoting, protecting and bettering the health of
individuals, groups, communities and the environment in which they live, learn, love, enjoy and work.
Public Health is a branch within the health field that is often overlooked in comparison to doctors,
nurses, physicians and so forth. Part of the reason falls on one of the main goals of Public Health. While
doctors, nurses and physicians aid those who are sick by treating their illnesses and/or sickness, public
health workers help by ensuring preemptive programs and behaviors are implemented in communities to
avoid people getting sick. Within the public health field we can find numerous health topics that require
attention and while I will work within the fields for all of them to a certain degree, the topics I will be
focusing strongly on are healthcare-associated infections in working class population and mental health
related issues in young adults and adolescents.

I was born and raised in Maracaibo, Venezuela. At the time of my birth and following formative
years Venezuela, formerly one of the most powerful countries in Latin America was, and still is to this
day, undergoing a an overwhelmingly dysfunctional political, social and economic decline. The lack of
medical care was one of my main worries. It is impossible for most Venezuelans to afford medical
attention. Although healthcare is a free public service, the proper supplies and maintenance to public
hospitals was not being provided with patients having to buy their own supplies to be treated. For those
who cannot afford them, the result is often devastating. Right before moving to the U.S I almost lost my
dad due to the hospital not being able to perform surgery due to the lack of supplies with the surgery
taking place 2 days after he was brought in. I also witnessed the highly unsanitary conditions and state
of the hospital.

I always dreamed of dedicating my life to the health field and the experience of practically losing
a loved one before going to college, undoubtedly pushed me towards following that dream. While I
originally had intentions of going to medical school, the vivid memories of the lack of care and overall
disregard to the health of my community that I witnessed led me to the path of public health. Public
Health allows me to contribute to people’s want and need for overall wellness. By prioritizing not only
the individual’s health, but also the social dimensions and the environment that people are a part of
everyday and giving everyone a fair shot at reaching that true balanced state of wellness. This is a major
that not only has prepared me to organize, plan and evaluate proper health programs geared towards our
communities, but it also gives me the tools and knowledge to be able to raise awareness to various
health hazards. It also allows me to help further educate the members of said communities about a
variety of health risks and promote the proper guidelines that can relied on to improve the health
outcomes of the members of our communities.

I believe that developing goals is a continuous process, it carries own and can sometimes change
the preexisting ones or create brand new ones. Nevertheless, I still do my best to carry my goals out
every day. My main goal for the next 2-3 years is to graduate with my Bachelor’s of Science in Health
degree with a concentration in Public Health and a double minor in Health Education and Psychology
and work on a non-profit mental health public health organization. In the future I might decide to go
back to school, I will still continue to use my public health knowledge in order to further educate
students and adults alike on how to maintain a healthy and harmonious environment.