Reflection on Social Justice Journey
Social Justice is a term that I had never understood before my time coming to Hamline University. I knew as an incoming first-year I wanted to go to a school that had a strong focus on diversity. Right away I learned that diversity could not be talked about without social justice. I attended a selective pre-orientation program called the Multicultural Mosaic, where we learned about different social groups, and how they relate to diversity and power. My first-year roommate was in the program so we got some pre-bonding and quickly discovered that we could have intellectual conversations about diversity and our related experiences.
Sophomore year I declared my Public Health Sciences major, and a Social Justice minor. I also increased my involvement in student activities, including joining a peer health education group. This was when I began to develop my Social Justice concentration, Health Equity. I began to find connections between my major and minor in all my courses. Somewhere along the line I took a Public Policy and Administration course that embedded my newfound policy passion. I have extended my knowledge of health equity policy through my internships with the Office of Senator Klobuchar, and UCare. I changed my Social Justice minor into a second major my junior year. Since then, I have experience researching social justice issues in diverse areas such as criminal justice, sexual health, disability rights, creative writing, and public policy.
Everything I do is now looked at through a social justice lens due to my academic rigor. I am always questioning: is this equitable, is this serving everyone, and is this supporting marginalized groups? As I work with health care policy, I will be asking myself these questions to determine good and equitable health care policies. My Social Justice training has prepared me for my personal and professional future, which will begin at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.
Everything I do is now looked at through a social justice lens due to my academic rigor. I am always questioning: is this equitable, is this serving everyone, and is this supporting marginalized groups? As I work with health care policy, I will be asking myself these questions to determine good and equitable health care policies. My Social Justice training has prepared me for my personal and professional future, which will begin at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.