Congratulations to our study coordinator, Obianuju Okonkwo, who will be starting her MPH at the Bloomberg School of Public Health with a concentration in Health Policy! We wish you all the best in your future studies and can’t wait to see all you accomplish and the impact you have in your field!
We sat down with Uju to hear about what she’s looking forward to about her new chapter, and some things she is hesitant about.
SS: What are you hoping to get out of your graduate studies, and what are you most excited about, and hesitant about?
OO: I’m really excited about building a new set of skills, since I’ve been a research coordinator for a while. I’m hoping to gain more managerial experience, leadership skills, and I’m really excited that this program is in health policy. I think policy is the best way to change things, and I want to make tangible change by writing health policy. I’m excited to meet new people who are in the same field as me, and learn about their experiences. I want to be able to not only implement policy, but also conduct the analysis to see how the policy is affecting the communities it aims to serve.
I’m a bit worried about living by myself for the first time. I’m very grateful to my parents for creating such a welcoming environment for me at home. There are so many things you have to consider when you’re living by yourself, including simple tasks like food and laundry. I also haven’t been in a degree-seeking program in quite some time, so I am a bit hesitant about that and just excelling academically and professionally.
However, I am thrilled and grateful to be staying with Hopkins, and can’t wait for this next chapter!
