Cortni is a fourth year Global Health major with a minor in Communication from Los Angeles, California. She has served as a Global Health Rep for the past two years, and will be part of the first cohort for the Master of Arts in Global Health Program at UC San Diego! Cortni’s major global health interests include epidemiology, women’s health and infectious diseases.
As a member of the Student Health Advocates, Cortni underwent a training course during spring quarter where she learned about the three different specialties; alcohol and other drugs (AOD), Sexual Health, and General Health. At the end of the course Cortni was tasked with creating a pamphlet with information about alcohol, responsible action protocol, and resources on campus.
Cortni ultimately joined the Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) specialty. Within this specialty, she conducted weekly workshops on alcohol, cannabis, and other drugs; tabled at the quarterly Bear Gardens; as well as planned AOD awareness events and campaigns such as the Great American Smokeout. Within her work for the AOD specialty, Cortni collaborated with other peer health educators, health promotion services, and departments apart from the wellness cluster.
Although at times she found it challenging to generate interest in learning about safe alcohol and drug consumption, and protective behavioral strategies, her work with SHA was overwhelmingly rewarding. Cortni found that through her field experience, she enhanced her ability to communicate with others, and improved upon her decision-making, presentation, and leadership skills.
Cortni also recalls other valuable takeaways from her time with Student Health Advocates:
“I learned that health is very important among the college student population. They are typically more receptive to information if it comes from a peer. I was able to create a lot of valuable memories and friendships among my peers.”
Although she has completed her global health field experience hours, Cortni remains heavily involved with SHA. After joining other specialty committee campaigns such as the Sleep Challenge and All You Need is Love, she is now serving as one of the Co-Presidents for the SHA program.
“SHA has been such a positive integral part of my college career.”
The Student Health Advocate program is a volunteer peer health education program and is an essential part of the Health Promotion Services and Student Health Services departments. Student Health Advocates are trained to educate other students about health issues and concerns through educational workshops, events, and campaigns.
Check out their website to learn more about how you can become involved with SHA!