My name is Noelle Serino (She/Her) and I am a Masters of Public Health (MPH) candidate at Yale School of Public Health in Social and Behavioral Sciences. I am also an alumnus of The American University (AU) in Washington, D.C., with a BA in Public Health and Justice, Law, and Criminology with a Certificate in Advanced Leadership Studies.
Originally from a small, rural town in Upstate New York, I have cultivated a deep commitment to applying my public health studies through community-based programming and empowerment, with a particular focus on health equity and the social determinants of health. As defined by Healthy People 2030, social determinants of health are “the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks” including economic stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context.
Throughout my academic career, I have stood out as a hardworking and conscientious individual. My diligence, persistence, and proactivity have only furthered my success in my educational pursuits and my discipline and focus have allowed me to flourish thus far in my collegiate career. During my time at AU, I belonged to both the AU Scholars Program and the School of Public Affairs (SPA) Leadership Program. I have also maintained a number of both on- and off-campus positions including serving as Student Co-Director of the SPA Leadership Program and AU Experience (AUx) Senior Peer Facilitator as well as a Research Consultant with The Root Cause Coalition, Student Research Assistant with the Institute for Medicaid Innovation, and Community Health Associate with the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington. Such opportunities have fostered my leadership skills, personal growth, and success all while balanced with a rigorous course load.