Student
: Raenita Spriggs
High School Graduation Year
: 2013
College:
University of CA- Berkeley
Degree:
Bachelor's in Public Health
Graduate school:
University of CA-Los Angeles
Degree:
Master’s in Public Health with a concentration in Environmental Sciences
Current Career
: Strategy Specialist at UCLA Institute of Environment and Sustainability
Long-term Goal
:
As someone who is deeply passionate about climate, health and equity, I'm
aspiring towards a career in environmental health policy and research, specifically addressing environmental racism and the need for climate resilience in vulnerable communities. I'm currently nurturing this goal as a Strategy Specialist for UCLA's Center for Diverse Leadership in Science (CDLS). At CDLS, I'm working to build, fund, and advance programs and partnerships related to environmental and climate justice. In the future, these passions for environmental health and justice may take me to other non-profits and eventually into government. After all, I'd like to be the President one day.
How FACES has impacted me:
Not only did FACES provide me with a family of supportive colleagues and mentors, FACES also opened my eyes to the various careers that are available in health. Becoming a medical doctor was not my only option. There are other ways to have a positive impact on the health and well-being of the population, e.g. via research, policy, and program development. Thanks to FACES, I'm excited to spend my life finding creative ways to bring holistic healing to black, brown, and indigenous communities that suffer unequal environmental burdens, higher morbidity and mortality, and lack of access to resources.