Appreciation for Our 2020 Summer Interns!
Happy National Intern Day! At Praxis, we are so fortunate to have three phenomenal summer interns in 2020: Roxana Rodriguez, Julian Johnson, and Kourtney Nham, (aka "The Trifecta"). We want to take a moment and recognize the wonderful energy and motivation they bring to our staff and new virtual office, and the new ideas and perspectives that they apply to their outstanding work!
Roxana Rodriguez
Health Justice Intern
Roxana just completed her HJI with Praxis, and we are missing her already! During Roxana's internship, she applied her food systems expertise to develop a brief on equitable school procurement which will be released this fall. She interviewed partners at Cultiva la Salud to create a podcast case study of health justice in action. Additionally, Roxana led the Trifecta in updating Praxis' Social Determinants of Health Equity pages which are soon to be reflected on our website, as well as co-creating a visual framework for the Social Determinants of Health Equity. Roxana helped develop and implement Praxis' annual network survey to assess the policy priorities and organizing needs of Praxis' basebuilding partners, and supported the planning and implementation of our Disaster Justice Learning Circle.
Julian Johnson
Health Justice Intern
Julian has shared his public health perspective to a summer blog series with Praxis: "Making the Case for Organic Public Health" (see the first installment: "Public Health Needs a New Publicist"; the second blog is forthcoming)! In addition to highlighting the importance of organic public health, Julian contributed to the updates to our Social Determinants of Health Equity pages and framework. He partnered with Roxana to create and implement Praxis' annual network survey to assess the policy priorities and organizing needs of Praxis' basebuilding partners. He is currently in the process of interviewing stakeholders in equitable soda tax policy for an upcoming podcast series, and has been providing support for the Digital Storytelling Learning Circle.
Kourtney Nham
Health Justice Communications Intern
As a HJCI, Kourtney has been working on a hybrid of communications- and programs-related projects. Like Roxana and Julian, she has been collaborating to help Praxis update our Social Determinants of Health Equity pages and is leveraging her graphic skills to create a new visual framework for the Social Determinants of Health Equity. Kourtney is taking her interest in community safety and turning it into a forthcoming blog post that examines the state of policing in the U.S. and community-based and led solutions. Kourtney is also providing dual support for the Disaster Justice and Digital Storytelling Learning Circles. Last but not least, Kourtney has been advancing Praxis' communications by supporting with podcasts, graphics, email, social media, and the website!
Thank you, Roxana, Julian, and Kourtney! We are so proud to have you at Praxis and look forward to the bright futures ahead of you.
About Roxana
Born and raised in NorthEast Los Angeles, Roxana is currently finding new ways to call the Bay Area home. She is a Master's of Public Health student at UC Berkeley focusing on Health and Social Behavior. Her interest in developing intersectional public health programs for under-served communities was sparked by involvement in projects focused on health disparities, health-seeking behavior, and adverse health outcomes that are rooted in systems of oppression and inequality. Roxana earned her BA from Williams College in both Biology and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. During her free time she nourishes her spirit by taking care of plants, cooking, and reading.
About Julian
Julian Johnson is a Bay Area native born and raised in Hayward, California. Julian is a Senior at Yale College and MPH candidate in Health Policy at the Yale School of Public Health. He is also on the pre-medical track. At Yale, Julian participates in the Yale Gospel Choir, intramural volleyball, and student organization support work in the Yale College Dean's Office. He also works in the EQUITY Innovation center where he contributes to public health research surrounding race & research in vulnerable populations. Julian has a passion for addressing racial disparities through policies that address the racial power dynamics in medicine and examining the historical relationships minority communities have had with medical institutions. Julian loves to travel, be out in nature, try new foods, and spend quality time with family and friends.
About Kourtney
Kourtney was raised in Rocklin, California and is currently a senior at UCLA studying Human Biology and Society with a minor in Asian American Studies. She is deeply passionate about social justice and believes in the capacity of communities to build collective power in order to combat intersecting systems of oppression that are at the heart of health inequities. At UCLA, Kourtney organizes with Students for Justice in Palestine and Student Labor Advocacy Project and has been involved in several research projects investigating racial health disparities. In the future, she hopes to work to address health inequities in Southeast Asian immigrant and refugee communities. In her free time, you can find Kourtney drawing, reading, or hanging out with her cat.