HONORS STUDENT SPOTLIGHT - NINA EDWARDS
Name: Nina Edwards
Major: Care, Health, and Society
Minor: Pre-Health Thematic
Year in school: Sophomore
Hometown: Reno, NV
Clubs/Organizations: Alpha Epsilon Delta, ASUA Student Health Advocacy Committee
Leisure Pursuits: I like to play guitar, sing, and binge watch Netflix TV shows. Pre-Covid, I loved checking out what was going on around campus, whether it was going to a football game or walking around University Boulevard with friends.
Research Projects: Over the summer I was involved with Dr. Ruiz's SuRRF Lab, where I helped examine multiracial representation in biomedical research studies throughout the last decade. Also, I participated in an Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium seminar discussing health research methods and ethics in Indigenous communities. It was amazing to be learning about the intersection between my passion for health sciences and part of my heritage!
Plans after graduation: After graduation, I will pursue medical school and/or a master's program in public health. I hope to take a gap year or two and move to the Pacific Northwest where I can work or get research experience in a place that I love!
FOCUS QUESTIONS
What has been your favorite Honors course or experience that you have been involved with?
My favorite honors course I've taken was an analytical writing course on Art and Anatomy with Professor Baliani! I loved having the chance to synthesize new ideas and to expand my knowledge of a subject I knew little about. What drew me to the honors college in the first place was the opportunity to take courses that are interdisciplinary, in-depth, and taught by amazing faculty. Each honors class I've taken since starting at the UA has gone above and beyond these expectations!
What is something you have done during your time at UA of which you are especially proud?
I am especially proud of receiving my Community Health Specialist Certification through a CHS course that I took from Tom Hill! Volunteering at Z Mansion and learning about common health issues in the Tucson homeless community has been eye-opening. These experiences are part of what inspires me to continue to work with communities that are severely underserved in order to make social change.
What message do you have for other Honors students on finding their own success?
Keeping an eye out for new opportunities has been so helpful to me, so I definitely recommend asking questions and applying to things even if you're uncertain about them at first! For me, it was really tough getting used to reaching out to faculty and asking for help, but with practice it got easier. The more chances you take, the closer you are to finding your dream internship, job, or volunteer opportunity!
ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE
"Nina Edwards is an outstanding student who submitted the best Honors Project I've seen in seven years. Her VoiceThread presentation, "Creating Beneficial Partnerships Between Healthcare Institutions and Community Nonprofits" involved a synthesis of course literature and connections to healthcare and social service practice in the community. Nina's presentation was scholarly, insightful, and made strong connections between theory and practices. Strengths in her presentation include: IHI: inclusion of the triple aim, health equity, robust descriptions of El Rio, SAAF, AIYWI. Different levels of provider engagement. Inclusion of IP communication (for the win!). Identifies engagement barriers to overcome. Visually pleasing, excellent use of images, graphics, and figures. Well-cited, scholarly, with excellent use of APA formatting and references."
– Lorre Laws, Senior Lecturer, Nursing in the College of Nursing
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