Catching Up with Aaron Davis, HS Student

SNHS student Aaron Davis took time out of their busy schedule to share their story with us. Read more about Aaron!

Tell us about yourself and your academic journey:

My name is Aaron, I am a senior graduating Spring 2021 with a BA in Health Studies, and a double minor in Health Education and Promotion, and Global Health. I am the first in my family to accomplish many things, the first to graduate high school, the first to graduate community college, and now the first to graduate with a bachelors. In two years, I will be the first in my family to achieve a masters degree as well! Being a multi "firsts" student, has meant my academic journey has been a slower, non traditional one as I’ve juggled being a full time mother, full time student, and full time worker bee. I chose UW Bothell and the Health Studies program in large part because of the amazing mentors and faculty support the school offers. I knew going into a 4 year degree that I would need a lot of guidance since I had none in my own networks to draw from. I've always wanted to help the most vulnerable people in my community, and UWB and the Health Studies program provided an avenue for me to achieve these goals, and have the appropriate amount of training and knowledge to make a difference. Currently I am working on the frontlines of pandemic response with the county as a manager of a COVID-19 isolation and quarantine site dedicated to treating unhoused community members currently sick with the virus. After graduation I plan to go on to the UW MPH program in maternal and child health epidemiology, and one day a doctorate. When I am not focusing on school, work, or family, I am in my community helping with mutual/direct aid efforts, and putting in time at community farms and food justice initiatives.

Share a memorable course and what you liked about it:

One of the most memorable courses I've taken at UWB has been B HLTH 227 Migration and Population Health: A Global Representation in Films and Arts. The course not only focused in on the various ways migrant health is impacted, but also provided insight into how their stories should be represented and honored as they are told. As someone who works with underserved/ unhoused populations constantly migrating, the lessons in honoring stories and experiences really rang home for me.

Tell us about your fieldwork experience:

This quarter I've had the incredible opportunity to have fieldwork experience serving as the SNHS social media intern, managing content and delivering health related information as we grow our audience. I've been able to use skills directly learned in my Health Education and Promotion minor, and apply them in real-world ways as a content manager.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

Experiences at UWB have truly shaped me as a person, and shaped the direction my career is going! I have spent the last two years serving on the Health Studies Curriculum Committee as a student representative helping to shape the focus and goals of Health Study courses. Using my voice to help advocate for marginalized students, and provide viewpoints that come from a diverse lived experience has given me insight and confidence to be an active participant and added voice to the chorus of people pushing for equitable change. I have also been privileged enough to work as a student research assistant under tenured faculty and used the knowledge gained to pursue my own independent research with support from the Mary Gates Research Scholarship. As I prepare to graduate, I know UWB has given me so many tools and abilities to carry myself forward into my next journey, an MPH in Epidemiology.