October 29, 2024
Paid internships support future public health leaders
Valedictorian uses bilingual-bicultural fluency to connect with community clinic patients who set him on a course for his chosen career.
Public health counselors support the health of the entire community, one family at a time.
California Lutheran University’s 2024 valedictorian Anthony Garay is a great example of both academic achievement and the value of a paid internship in public health, courtesy of a Kaiser Permanente grant.
Combining science and service
Anthony Garay helped Spanish-speaking patients communicate with care team members at Westminster Free Clinic.
In addition to his academic achievements, Garay of Thousand Oaks, California, was selected to speak at his class graduation because of his outstanding internship at Westminster Free Clinic, where he helped patients understand their medical issues and the available health care interventions.
Using his Spanish fluency, Garay interpreted for the volunteer clinicians and their patients. “My goal was to help people feel safe, and I could see in their faces a certain relief that someone is able to understand them and explain to them what’s going on,” said Garay. “An entire village of parents and grandparents raised me. I approached Westminster Clinic patients as if they were my family.”
He graduated with a major in biochemistry and molecular biology and a minor in public health, and currently works at Amgen in the chemical laboratory.
Journey from intern to public health leader
Tanya Wicks, MPH, adjunct faculty for the California Lutheran University Public Health program, describes Garay as “one of those exceptional humans” who went beyond his stated internship activities of intake data collection and assessment of risk factors and social determinants of health. Applying those academic skills, he became part of the extended Westminster Clinic heart health program, Corazones Sanos, which saw him leading Zumba classes, assisting in diabetes prevention education, and even participating in group walks with patients in the nearby canyon.
Westminster Free Clinic, with locations in Thousand Oaks and Oxnard, California, is just one of the CLU internship program sites. Adina Nack, PhD, director of the California Lutheran University Public Health program, lobbied for years to develop the program and was given the go-ahead to launch in the fall of 2020.
“Not that we needed the pandemic to underline the importance of public health,” said Nack, “But some people thought it was like, ‘Wow, how did you do that with such perfect timing?’”
Tanya Wicks, MPH, adjunct faculty, CLU Public Health program, says the internship provides an opportunity for students to learn about a public health career.
Adina Nack, PhD, initiated the CLU Public Health program, which provides an educational and experiential foundation for new community health leaders.
Empowering interns to pursue their passions
Since 2022, Kaiser Permanente has awarded grants to support CLU’s Public Health internship program, enabling 10 students each year to receive a $595 paid internship. In this way, students with financial challenges can focus on their passions instead of having to take job out of financial necessity.
Garay is grateful for the internship experience, for the CLU Public Health program, and for the faculty who bring different academic perspectives to their courses. From the knowledge and skills gained in the classroom and experiential learning at the internship site, he received mentorship and practical guidance for a future career in public health.
“This enhanced my understanding of the role of preventive care and established a deeper connection with the community served by the free clinic.”
