2015 Intern Profiles

Aliya Feroe
Bowdoin College
Biology Major
Education or Sociology Minor

Without a doubt, this summer as an ORISE CLEH intern marks the most rewarding and thrilling segment of my life. My summer CLEH experience has been more than research and the production of deliverables. I have widened my horizons beyond what I had formerly thought possible and I am finishing this summer with a better understanding of what I value in human and environmental health and how I want to pursue these timely issues through further study of the epigenetic mechanisms of environmental chemical exposures and the subsequent transgenerational consequences. I cannot describe my feelings better than a pit of fiery excitement in my belly to learn and convey my lessons to others with the ultimate goal of bettering public health. I am so grateful for the many opportunities that this internship has provided; these opportunities will enable me to make a bigger impact on the world in the coming years.

Asia Wang
University of Rochester
Epidemiology Major
Brain and Cognitive Science Minor

This internship has exceeded my expectations. Participating in the CLEH program has shown me my abilities to lead, to synthesize information, and to produce a product. I have learned so much from the weekly journal clubs, field trips, and programming. The trainings, like the public speaking and public health law, were a great bonus I did not expect from the internship. I’m grateful for the abundance of resources that were available to me at the CDC this summer.

Professionally, this summer at the CDC has given me a glimpse of what my future career path could be. There is currently a point A, me in the present, and a point b, where I want me to be in 5-10-20 years. My experience at the CDC this summer has provided the mental bridge from A to B and shown me how to get to point B. Interacting with professionals and working in the federal environment has developed the tools for me to achieve my career goals. I hope to continue working in public health, specifically in epidemiology, and this experienced has helped me work closer to my goal.

Barni Hussein
University of Minnesota
Global Studies Major
Public Health and African Studies Minors

Interning this summer at CDC/ATSDR has been a memorable, life-changing and educational experience for me. Over the course of my internship I feel like I have experienced significant personal growth and gained both professional and interpersonal skills that I can transfer to the real world. This internship has reaffirmed my passion in environmental health and I have been exposed to different career paths that I have never crossed my mind. I have also expanded my knowledge about various environmental health topics through our journal clubs and brown bag lunch seminars. My intern cohort was a very eclectic group and they were the highlight of my internship experience. This internship develops future public health leaders.

Eda Reed
Colby College
Environmental Science: Environment and Human Health and Biology Major

During the past 10 weeks I greatly expanded my perceptions of environmental health. I learned new concepts: built environment, one health, and the intricacies of environmental odors. I’ve also strengthened what I already knew about global health, climate change and health, and the health implications of water, among other topics. It has been a summer of professional growth for me as an individual, as I learned to navigate the nine-to-five workday for the first time and networked with potential mentors.

Overall, I enjoyed my internship this summer, and I’m thankful I had this opportunity. The internship has caused me to consider many career paths (such as veterinary medicine) I had not thought about before, and realize how many different mindsets and skillsets are necessary to achieve progress in environmental health.

Emily Audet
Scripps College
Environmental Analysis, concentration in Sustainability & the Built Environment Major
Biology Minor

This was such a great experience. I deeply appreciate how the program seeks to educate the interns and encourage their professional development while we work on our projects. I learned a lot about how I work in a professional environment this summer, as well as becoming more aware of my career goals and interests. I loved how much Maria and James encouraged us to network with other people at the CDC -- I consequently met some incredible people that I plan to stay in touch with. Maria and James were so supportive of all the interns, and that made a real impact on my internship experience.

Hema Pingali
University of Richmond
Biology Major
Healthcare & Society Minor

Coming into this internship, I knew I was interested in environmental health but did not know too much about options for careers in environmental health. Throughout the internship, I had the opportunity to meet with and hear from a number of people who are doing exactly what I'm interested in doing - bridging the gap between doctors and public health officials working on environmental health - so now I have a much better idea of what I want to do and how I can incorporate environmental health in my career goals.

This experience has been my favorite internship of all time (by far!) and I worry that future internships will pale in comparison to this program. I would absolutely recommend this internship to others even remotely interested in environmental health. This internship has fundamentally changed my plans for the future - I now plan on making environmental health an integral part of my future career in medicine.

Kathryn Gerber
Calvin College
Environmental Studies and Biology Majors

As an ecology student, connections fascinate me. My studies revolve around analyzing and evaluating the relationship of species and environments I observe, and identifying these interactions is thrilling to me. However, I’ve long struggled with how to connect my understanding of science with the privilege, inequity, and poverty I also see. My internship at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this summer finally gave me means to make that connection and to explore a vocation in public health I feel increasingly convicted to pursue in the future. At its root, I’ve observed public health to be the act of identifying health inequities and working hard to diminish those, and this is something I loved being part of.

I'm leaving with a lot more hope in the future, in the government, and in the goodwill of humans than when I came. I have made some incredible contacts at CDC and the public health world at large, and they have given me valuable career direction, help, and encouragement. To be able to learn skills and dream about the future alongside some of the best public health professionals in the world was really incredible.

Meredith Burke
University of Michigan
Environmental Science Major
Multidisciplinary Design Minor

I learned a lot about myself this summer, and I realized that I am very interested in communication, especially visual communication. I realized that communication plays just as much of a role in public health as policy, direct action, preparedness, and everything else in between. Some have gifts that align better with different parts of the spectrum, and I think that mine are aligning towards the communication and organization gradient.

Ogbonnia (Junior) Elechi
Stephen Austin University
Health Science Major
Biology Minor

This program has solidified my interest in public health. The weekly themes set by the program complete with a journal club, brown bag presentations, and Friday field trips were ingenious and I appreciated them… I had the best supervisor, mentor, and was placed in an environment where everyone made sure I was on the path to success. There are no complaints from me towards this program and this is an experience that I will forever cherish. The program also provided me with the opportunity to explore Atlanta. Overall I enjoyed my duration here at the CDC and the networking opportunities provided by this internship will be integral to my next steps in life.

Risa Sayre
North Carolina State University
Environmental Science Major
Toxicology, Environmental Engineering, Soil Minors

I learned so much from the CLEH programming. I have never had a class in public health, and I was largely unaware of all the things that CDC and the public health community takes part in. Now I think it is probably the best place for me to work. The people are knowledgeable, interesting, and pleasant and the work environment is great. The most important part, though, is how great it is to feel like the work you do can make a positive difference in people's lives all over the country and the world while always learning and contributing to the sphere of knowledge. I don't think there's another workplace that can provide that. I'm deeply grateful to have been made aware of this wonderful place, and to have been a part of it for a while.

Ross Apter
University of Maryland
Government and Politics Major
Sustainability Minor

This was my second year applying and words cannot describe my excitement when I was accepted. I came in with some idea of what it was going to be like and it was even better than I thought. The cohort was amazing, I felt like a learned way more from hanging out with them and hearing their experiences. The program ran smoothly and was really well rounded. My project was exactly what I wanted and I'll leave here with greater knowledge on air and fracking policy. Every aspect of this summer was amazing. I was able to push myself and go past my expectations. I'm sad that my time is over, but this experience will always stay with me.

Samuel Yang
University of Alabama
Environmental Science Major
Public Policy Minor

I previously thought that environmental health was a very narrow occupational/engineering field and simply considered a way to simultaneously explore public health and urban planning. Now, I understand how broad environmental health truly is and see that every field within it is dynamically connected.

This internship is a good opportunity to get a look at specific, on-the-ground public health work, it's a great way to develop a foundational understanding of the complex and connected topics within the field. You'll develop skills necessary for the field and learn which ones you need to pursue in the future. This is an internship that both challenges you and makes it okay for you to be a beginner.