Five students spoke at the Annual Scholarship Luncheon held at the historic Arizona Inn in Tucson on Oct. 21, 2011. Listen to these amazing personal stories of triumph over hardship and how they developed a passion for public health.
Leaton Jones
Degree: BS in Public Health
Leaton joined the U.S. Army after High School and trained as a Combat Medic. As an Iraq war veteran, he has witnessed first-hand, the consequences of a lack of general education, access to healthcare and widespread poverty.
Daniela Larson
Degree: MPH in Public Health Practice
Daniela was born in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, to a single mother who worked two jobs to provide for two children. She arrived in the U.S. in 2005 to attend college at the University of Arizona. Daniela is the only woman in her family with a college education.
Mabel Owusu-Ankomah
Degree: MPH with a concentration in Epidemiology.
Born and raised in Ghana, West Africa, Mabel is the oldest of four children. Her interest in public health began at an early age when she watched her nine year old cousin die from the lack of access to proper medication.
Janée Walsh
Degree: MPH in Health Behavior & Health Promotion and MS in Latin American Studies
At the age of nine, Janée was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and it changed the course of her life. "My interest in public health stems from the wonderful support I received growing up as a type 1 diabetic." She hopes to work with Latino diabetic individuals and families to help recreate the type of community support networks she has access to.
Lacie Yazzie
Degree: MPH in Public Health Policy & Management
Lacie is a Navajo Indian from Buffalo Springs, New Mexico where she was raised in a one room house with no running water until the age of 15. "The reason I choose a public health profession over becoming a medical doctor is the ability to treat an entire community rather than only one person. As American Indians, we care for our entire family, not just ourselves."
