Zandra Alford
The week prior to my first semester
in graduate school I participated in the Border Health Service Learning
Institute on the US/Mexico border. This week-long, experiential learning course
enabled me to collaborate with organizations and professionals involved in
public health promotion in the border communities of Douglas, AZ and Agua
Prieta, Sonora. This course afforded me
first-hand experience of public health initiatives on the border while
highlighting systemic issues that influence migration and jeopardize public
health objectives. After returning from the Border Health Service Learning
Institute at the beginning of the Fall 2011 semester the possibility of a
follow-up trip to the Mexico/Guatemala border started being discussed among
members of my program. The trip’s purpose is to allow students to draw
comparisons between the Guatemala/Mexico and the Mexico/US border regions by
engaging students in experiential learning activities with communities on the
Mexico/Guatemala border similar to the ones experienced during our time in the
Douglas/Agua Prieta communities. Participating
in a trip comparing the two borders intrigued me because it would allow me to
further explore the systematic issues that impact migration and health issues
at the US/Mexico border and beyond.
Arthur Basset
Planning generally
is believed to be an urban profession involving just land use but it actually
involves foresight and the ability to meet people's needs in the city, rural areas,
parks, in the wilderness and people in different countries. Planning
theory embraces sustainability, justice, equity, ethics, preservation and
community when assessing issues of the environment, economics and the social system.
My interests in international borderland
planning stem from my youth. Growing up
in Douglas, Arizona I saw many challenges and disparities along the
border. After college I went down to
Chiapas, Mexico to learn about coffee, speak Spanish, and see how life went on
a coffee plantation in Mexico. I later I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Vanauatu working with coffee farmers. The
Mexico-Guatemala Service Learning Course is not only a chance to learn more
about borders, but to establish connections with local organizations and
resources involving international planning. I intend to use these
connections when I graduate and begin my professional career.
Christopher Blue
As a Master in Planning candidate at
the University of Arizona I am working diligently to gain the knowledge,
skills, and inspiration to accomplish my career objective of becoming a
planning professional. As a planner, I
will be an active agent in the creation of just and sustainable cities that
contribute positively to public health.
Of particular interest to me is the area of economic development, which
is a key element of public policy formulation at all levels of government. Economic development is increasingly promoted
as a critical component of community, regional, national, and international
planning processes. Its main concerns
in the planning process are to promote a higher standard of living, eliminate
poverty, and create sustainable built environments that benefit the health of
the community. I see the planning
profession and the field of international economic development as my vehicle
for accomplishing these goals and doing some good in the world.
Emily Coyle
With my public health, legislative
and advocacy background, it is my intent to gain additional experience and
understanding necessary to address and help alleviate the root causes of
northern migration, and, because this is a long-term goal, to help create a
more tolerant culture through awareness and understanding in the United States.
The Mexico-Guatemala Service Learning Course will give me the expertise and
experience necessary to communicate to our greater community, lawmakers, and
decision-makers why we need to make rational, reasonable and compassionate
decisions and policies around immigration. Because immigration reform is such a
hot-button issue, I believe it is an issue that will remain a top concern for
lawmakers well after the upcoming election. I feel that the experience I will
gain participating in this project, together with my professional experience
working with lawmakers, public health advocates and various coalitions and
organizations, will make me uniquely suited to advocate for just, fair policies
that resemble those upon which our nation was founded – of equal rights for
all.
Sarah Davis
I have always been invested in work
that surrounds development, specifically in Latin America, sustainable
agricultural development, food systems, and sustainability research. In my
current work in Hermosillo, Mexico I work directly with migrant farm workers
and supervisors to implement health promotion interventions in a culturally
sensitive manner that reflects perceived health concerns dictated through
discussions with the farm workers within the camp. The majority of the farm workers, or jornaleros, are from other states in
Mexico, such as Chiapas, Veracruz, Puebla, and Oaxaca, and migrate north
specifically to work in agricultural centers in northern Mexico. This service-learning trip to the
Guatemala/Mexico border will enable me to better understand the agricultural
migration patterns within Mexico and help me draw comparisons with the United
States/ Mexico border, which will be an asset to my future research and
professional development.
Andrew J Gall
By going on the Mexico-Guatemala
Service Learning Course I aim to connect my Peace Corps community health experience
in Guatemala with my University studies regarding border health. After I graduate I would like to work on
health improvement projects in Central America in roles such as health trainer,
health promoter, and technical advisor. I believe that visiting several organizations
focused on migration, humanitarian aid, and public health in both Southern
Mexico & Western Guatemala is essential for better understanding the
complex interaction between economics, politics, migration, and public health
in this region. Better comprehending
these interconnected issues will help me effectively plan and implement health
programs in the future.
Aimee Snyder
I have 5 years of experience in
middle school teaching which has allowed me to be proficient in the generating
of objectives and activities that allow a group of diverse individuals to meet
those objectives. My intent with this
trip is to translate those skills to the university level and master the
establishment of graduate level Public Health curriculum, development of a
Public Health-specific syllabus, and facilitates meaningful service-learning
experiences while connecting to a culture outside of my own in efforts to learn
better how to overcome barriers. Service-learning is an approach to connect
academics to community service providing students with quality hands-on
learning complete with gaining cultural understanding and professional
competencies while serving the community.
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