PRACTICUM EXPERIENCE: SPHL UTA
For my practicum, I spent a semester as an Undergraduate TA for the Accelerated BS/MPH Program in the school of Public Health under Dr. La-Touche Howard and Taylor Palmer. During this time I worked on creating social media strategies, communication strategies, and marketing material for the program.
Advice
I was able to find my practicum by reaching out to my professor from SPHL100, who I had formed a relationship with to see if she needed UTAs for the spring semester. Some advice that I would give future media scholars looking for a practicum site is to reach out to professors and other professional relationships you have and to also choose something that interests you to work on.
What did you learn from your practicum?
From my practicum experience, I learned how to better communicate with a team of professors and students, and come up with effective communication strategies. I also learned how to utilize Canva to create marketing materials, and the importance of presenting information in a certain way so that it is easily digestible.
I have grown as a student and professional as exposure to the Accelerated program helped me realize that it is something I am interested in pursuing in my academic career. I have also learned the time and communication skills that go on when running and creating materials for an academic program. I chose this timeline as an example of my work during my practicum because it shows some of the skills I have learned in my time as a UTA. This timeline was made for the Meet & Greet event for the next cohort of accelerated students and will be given to them to show what is needed to be done between the time of the event and their entering into the program. This is a good example of what I have learned in my time and work in the practicum because it shows how important it is to present information in a certain way so that it can be understood, and there was a great deal of communication behind the timeline in order to make sure all the information was on there and presented correctly.
How can you apply your practicum experience to your life/career moving forward?
I can apply my practicum experience to my career moving forward as it taught me better communication skills and how to better work with others in a workplace based environment rather than school environment. My practicum experience has also propelled me to look further into the Accelerated BS/MPH program, which is now something I hope to pursue for my own education.
The rest of your time at UMD & post-grad?
My plans for the remainder of my time at UMD are to continue my education by working on a degree in Public Health Science with a minor in Health, Humanities, and Medicine and General Business. I plan to apply to the Accelerated program and graduate with my MPH in health care administration from UMD. I am also planning to study abroad in Rome for the Spring 2023 semester. Post-graduation I would like to work in public health administration and health care policy.
