On the University of South Dakota campus, you may find junior Zena Aragon practicing with the USD dance team as captain; leading activities for Dakota Days and the Latino-Hispanic Student Organization; or attending events for one of the many organizations she participates in.

However, over the summer of 2024, you would have found the public health major in Baltimore, Maryland, at Johns Hopkins University, exploring how to address health disparities and promote health equity, or at the Compass Center in Sioux Falls participating in conversations and administering a community needs assessment as an intern.

One of the more interesting places you would have found Zena (wearing a professional hot pink suit) is at the headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, presenting her research project, “Addressing Teen Dating Violence and Sexual Assaults in Sioux Falls: Implementing Effective Prevention Program.”

Zena’s full summer schedule was due to her role as a scholar with the Maternal Child Health Careers/Research Initiatives for Student Enhancement – Undergraduate Program, or RISE-UP. This prestigious summer program is funded by the CDC, and the USD Center for Disabilities serves as one of four hosts for this national program. RISE-UP internships provide opportunities for enhanced public health leadership training in maternal and child health, focusing on developmental disabilities, social determinants of health, and elimination of health disparities.

RISE-UP provides students with national expertise in public health combined with internships in community agencies, expanding their knowledge about how to address disparities that impact health. Each summer nine to 12 RISE-UP students have the opportunity to bridge the lecture hall and hands-on learning with mentors who are leading efforts to improve the health of our communities.

Ann Wilson, Ph.D., senior research associate with the Center for Disabilities and a professor of pediatrics at the Sanford School of Medicine, coordinates the USD RISE-UP site. She explains that when students apply to RISE-UP they may choose one of four sites where they hope to spend their summer: USD; Kennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland; the University of California in Davis, California; or Aaniiih Nakoda College in Fort Belknap, Montana. Applicants must be undergraduate rising juniors, seniors and recent graduates with at least a 2.7 grade point average. Wilson states that RISE-UP especially seeks students who are eager to learn about public health and to further broaden their academic background as they plan for health careers or graduate work in medicine, nursing, epidemiology, community health education, public policy or other fields related to health.

I was a freshman when Ann came to an AISES meeting to encourage members to apply for RISE-UP. I was too young then but knew I wanted to do it,” said Zena. “I am interested in generational trauma, especially in Latin/Hispanic and Indigenous families, from seeing the impact in my own family. This program sounded like a way to explore my interests and develop a deeper understanding of the different avenues of public health.”

While that interest in public health would later grow, Zena started her USD journey with other priorities. From small-town Vinton, Iowa, she selected USD from a self-created spreadsheet of regional colleges that had strong dance teams and nursing programs. “When I stepped on the USD campus for a visit, I knew this is where I was meant to be,” said Zena.

Zena counts the Cultural Wellness Coalition, American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNA), USD Access, Black Student Union and Sigma Delta Honor Society as university organizations she is active in.

She entered her freshman year with her sights set on nursing when an introductory class introduced her to public health. “The public health program here at USD teaches us how to think and solve problems. I can really make a broad impact with this major,” Zena said.

Zena’s coursework in public health focuses on foundational public health concepts, research methods and community engagement to gain a comprehensive understanding of public health program development. Students also learn effective communication tactics to present ideas and data, and are exposed to ethical considerations, ensuring the work they do after graduation is relevant and culturally sensitive.

Zena’s capstone summer project was The Compass Center’s Youth Voices in Prevention, a youth-led, community-based project dedicated to eliminating violence among middle and high school youth in the Sioux Falls area. The program engages young leaders and trains them in best practices for violence prevention. Her internship project fit well with her interests and the goals of her USD academic program.

“You can see a direct tie between what Zena has learned on campus and her work with The Compass Center over the summer,” said Amy Nelson, Ph.D., program director of the USD Department of Public Health and Health Sciences. “Whether she was conducting focus groups with community leaders, or visiting with the Yankton Sioux Tribe Headquarters to gain insight into the tribe’s public health challenges, Zena was able to put her coursework into action.”

“This program trains peer mentors who then lead peer conversations on violence prevention, including sexual assault education,” said Zena. “I learned so much about how community organizations impact public health through their work.”

Zena found many connections between her coursework and her RISE-UP project. She appreciated being able to apply her knowledge about community needs assessments to conduct one in support of the Youth Voices in Prevention project. She also felt prepared and confident when it came to the CDC showcase, a gathering of student projects from across the country. At the showcase, RISE-UP participants and other public health students shared their projects with public health experts and CDC officials. “I was able to learn about other projects studying breastfeeding, emergency response time and immigrant health,” Zena said. “It was an honor to be there and present my project on implementing a prevention program for teen dating violence.”

Along with the knowledge gained in public health, Zena values her summer spent building relationships with fellow RISE-UP participants, who came to Sioux Falls from across the country. The fellow interns learned about one another’s projects and shared meals, experiences and cultures with one another. “I’m excited to see where my fellow RISE-UP interns end up. They are going to change the world,” she said.

When asked about her future, Zena’s face lights up as she discusses her interests in expanding justice in the health care system through equity and equality, focusing on primary prevention. Her true passion is to have an impact on Latin/Hispanic and Indigenous health care. “I appreciate that my background in public health is giving me resources and connections to solve problems and help people,” she explained.

Zena has valued her time at USD, the opportunities the school has given her, and the relationships she has made. She points to the wide variety of clubs and organizations that keep her busy as the best way to get involved on campus as a new student and meet people. The activities have also helped her find mentors in the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Native American Cultural Center. Staff members Marcus Destin, John Little and Megan Red Shirt-Shaw helped guide her and connect her to contacts at Johns Hopkins University as soon as her RISE-Up role was confirmed. Zena noted, “People on campus want us to succeed and genuinely push us forward. USD has given me a family.”

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