Building Foundations by Yasmine

Building Foundations by Yasmine - August 2024 Scholarship Essay

By adopting this interdisciplinary approach, I hope to be in a better position to explore how advances in Neuroscience can indeed help shape public health strategies related to mental health, neurodevelopment disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases. For example, I would be highly interested in learning how very early interventions during brain development could head off long-standing public health challenges, such as addiction or chronic mental illness. By understanding what the brain contributes to these problems, I hope to make some contributions toward the development of public health initiatives trying to promote mental well-being and cognitive health across the life span.

Lastly, regarding the learning, I look forward to being involved in various research opportunities to be able to put what I have learned into the real world. This especially makes me excited about the opportunity to work in interdisciplinary research labs that let me contribute to studies examining the crossroads of neuroscience and public health. Whether it's investigating neurological effects of trauma or community-based mental health interventions, I am motivated to be on the leading edge of research that can make change.

Moreover, I feel that the double major in Public Health and Neuroscience will equip me with the requisite leadership skills in order to advance policies and programs that address neurological and mental health needs among diverse populations. I yearn to be a leader who can navigate these complex fields and bring scientific research into public health practice.

Ultimately, I would want to take from this educational journey to make a lasting impact in the health and wellbeing of people and communities. By having a double major in Public Health and Neuroscience, I put myself in a position where I would contribute to a future in which advances in the science of the brain bring concrete improvements to health outcomes for all.