Public Health Program Developer & Evaluator ǀ Social Justice Advocate ǀ International Developer in Latin America ǀ Painter & Muralist
RECENT PROJECTS
Program Design & Evaluation
Nogales, Arizona
2023-2024
My MPH internship centered on a mental health program serving Latino seniors in a US-Mexico border community. I lead the evaluation design, worked with Community Health Workers (CHWs) to refine the curriculum to align with the selected outcomes, and designed a novel cost-benefit analysis for the program to assess the program financial costs along with quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and sustained behavior changes. Due to timely financial opportunities with emerging state Medicaid policies, I also summarized the policy and interviewed experts on the pros, cons, and nuances undisclosed through formal channels.
Mixed Methods Community Assessment
Yuma County, Arizona
2023
I was hired as a consultant to lead a mixed-methods assessment of the food and physical activity environments of 2 low-income neighborhoods in Yuma County, AZ. Methods included a bilingual survey, a photovoice group, a walkability assessment, observational assessment of physical activity spaces (such as parks), review of zoning policies for undeveloped land, and review of state subsidy programs used by grocers. I developed the protocols, selected validated instruments, trained local health department staff to conduct the assessments and lead the photovoice groups. I then analyzed all the data and complied a final report and public presentation for each community, including a list of data-driven recommendations.
Participatory Evaluation
San Luis, Arizona
2021-2024
Lead participatory evaluation activities, including instrument design, data collection, training, data analysis, reporting, and continuous quality improvement to ensure routine opportunities for data-driven program enhancements. This evaluation was for a federally-funded teen pregnancy prevention program at Campesinos Sin Fronteras, evaluated by UA Participatory Evaluation Institute.
Community Advocacy: Immigration
Tucson, Arizona
2021-2024
As a member of the University of Arizona student organization, LUCHA (Learning, Understanding and Cultivating Health Advocacy), I designed flyers, planned events, facilitated panel discussions with regional experts, and supported participant Q&A sessions on issues pertinent to the border region such as immigration, asylum seeker health needs, and heat concerns for migrant farmworkers.
All 250 volunteers
Student poetry reading
All 250 volunteers
Community Service Events
Tucson, Arizona
2016-2017
As VISTA Leader and Team Engagement Coordinator with Arizona Serve, I organized service days for up to 300 volunteers, launched a coalition of other local AmeriCorps programs to collaborate and elevate our community impact. I led coordination with community partners to design projects that would improve their space or services, managed an annual events budget, supervised a team to coordinate the planning details, and managed social media campaigns to showcase our community impacts. Events included 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance, MLK Day of Service, and Mayor, County, and Tribal Leaders Day of Recognition for National Service
Mission of Desert View High School, Tucson AZ
July 2016 As part of the Tucson Community Schools Initiative, Desert View High School encourages students to go to college through art. Their jaguar mascot clutches a diploma, characterizing their school motto: “clawing your way to college”. The surrounding college logos are schools their graduates attend. A sense of place is cultivated through the desert landscape, mountains and sunset which provide an avenue for pride and belonging for students.
September 2015 Sunsets in Tucson, Arizona leave viewers in awe every night. This mural encourages students to slow down and observe the setting sun inside the walls of Higher Ground.
Mission of Desert View High School, Tucson AZ
Mural
Projects
Tucson, Arizona
2015-2016
A growing passion of mine is to bring about community art projects that inspire others to believe, encourage bravery through action, and provide a canvas for voice. These are the beginnings of my efforts to explore how this is done in partnership with others.
International Community Development
Nicaragua
2014
Served as interpreter and cultural liaison for UVM Engineers Without Borders students on an initial field visit to a rural Nicaraguan community facing seasonal droughts to assess water needs and design a grey water system to facilitate year-round garden watering to increase food access.
