In her own words
Haleena Phillips
I am a first year MS student at Carnegie Mellon. I am originally from Trinidad and Tobago and lived between South Florida and my country until I was about 16. My mother wanted me to attend school in the United States as she believed that I would have better opportunities. Her highest level of education was high school and she always told me growing up that she had bigger dreams for me and to aim high. After I finished my BS in Biology at Davidson College, I was given the opportunity to pursue my Masters, and I took it, as it gave me the opportunity to not only live my mother’s dreams but to also help me master the knowledge necessary for my career path. With my background as a bench scientist, I was not able to explore the many realms of healthcare that my current Master’s program is allowing me to do. My personal, professional, and community focused goal is to address how justice intertwines with healthcare delivery and the ethical implications that arise with poor healthcare outcomes of individuals from different ethnic backgrounds. I strongly believe that a step to bridge this gap is to directly work with those in power and inform them on the science but also on the socioeconomic implications with underrepresented populations. I hope to use the exposure from different disciplines, such as econometrics, policy building, and health systems, exposed to me through my Masters program to do so.