Valerie Echeveste is a third-year student in the MPH Health Communication & Marketing program. Initially she was working a full-time, 9-5 job in addition to taking classes, but soon realized that she wanted to dedicate more time to her studies and opportunities at Milken Insitute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH).
The additional time in school, however, has had an indirect, beneficial side effect. “I’m captivated by many public health issues and overall curious about how to change people’s behaviors to healthier ones and reducing barriers to make the healthy choices easier," said Echeveste, who, unlike many public health students, didn’t come in with one area of focus. "Taking three years to complete my MPH has given me a lot of time to explore a wide range of public health initiatives and career paths.”
One of Echeveste's most memorable experiences was taking the course “Social and Behavioral Approaches to Health” with Associate Professor Monique Turner. This class helped Echeveste find her place in the public health community and taught her how to apply theory to real-life issues.
Another notable achievement for Echeveste was organizing an event during National Public Health Week last year. It was called “Why Public Health Professionals Should Run for Office” and featured Liz Jaff, a progressive strategist and campaign organizer, who spoke to students about the campaign process.
Echeveste was also proud to serve as a mentor for the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences DC Health and Academic Prep Program last summer. She taught high school students about medical and public health professions and led them in a community health project.
On studying public health in D.C. Echeveste said, “From USAID and advocacy groups to DC Greens and school garden organizations, there are endless opportunities to meet and learn from professionals working in the public health field.” Some conference she’s been able to attend in the city are: the GW and USAID’s Global Health Mini-University, Public Good App House Festival, Partnership for Healthier America-Building a Healthier Future Summit, VR for Good Summit, MCON Social Movement Conference and the Rodham Institute Annual Summit.
Echeveste has already applied her marketing and communication knowledge outside the classroom by getting involved with multiple organizations. She’s worked for Global BrightLight, a nonprofit that provides solar energy to rural communities in Latin America; Amerihealth Caritas, a Medicaid-managed care organization that assists women to seek prenatal care earlier in their pregnancy; and New Endeavours by Women, which helps homeless women in DC get back on their feet.
After such a busy and fulfilling three years at Milken Institute SPH, Echeveste’s advice to future students is to attend as many events as they can, and "Don’t be afraid to ask for informational interviews!” She added that students should also take advantage of cultural activities in DC and become active and DC residents by engaging with the Advisory Neighborhood Commission.