This summer, I interned as a Research Associate for ACE’s Public Health team. I also completed
my graduate project with ACE. Currently, I am pursuing a Master of Public Health at Baylor University.
For my graduate project, I spent 250 hours developing my project and completing the internship. My
project focuses on the topic of enrollment in health insurance among young adults in Orlando, Florida.
For my project, I developed two programs that aim to educate young adults in the community regarding
health insurance and encourage more young adults to enroll in healthcare coverage. Many young adults
in Orlando, and nationwide, are uninsured, so I believe this is an important issue to address.
Health insurance can have many health benefits that are needed to maintain health and treat
illness and accidents. There are many benefits, such as paying less for covered in-network health care,
even before meeting deductibles. Healthcare coverage also offers financial protection, protection from
high or unexpected medical costs, and free access to preventative services (e.g., shots, screening tests,
check-ups). For these reasons, I feel that this topic is important, so I chose to focus on it for my project.
My graduate project was developed based on best practices and evidence-based procedures to improve
enrollment in healthcare coverage.
The first program is an educational program, consisting of lecture-style workshops and
interactive activities, in which young adults would be taught about health insurance, the benefits of
getting enrolled, and common health issues affecting them. For this program, in addition to developing a
plan for implementing this program, I created lesson plans, educational documents, and advertisements
to promote the program on social media. This program also involved the opportunity for individuals to
receive assistance and mentorship as they go through the process of enrolling in and renewing their
health insurance. The second program was an advocacy program, in which students at the University of
Central Florida would learn how to become advocates for health in their community. For this program, I
developed a plan for implementing the program, as well as informational pamphlets and advertisements
to promote the program to students at the university.
This project took plenty of dedication and hard work, and I am so proud of the progress that I’ve
made. I’m also incredibly grateful to ACE for providing me with the opportunity to complete my
graduate project with them. I enjoyed my time at ACE, and I felt I was able to grow professionally and
personally while developing my leadership skills and working on a project that I am passionate about. I
plan to carry these skills with me throughout my future endeavors.