Posted on March 13, 2015
Source: Samuel Kebede
Hello! My name is Samuel Kebede and I am an undergraduate senior majoring in Public Health here at Hopkins. I joined Generation Tomorrow because I wanted to supplement my previous experiences in HIV research. My previous experiences mostly examined HIV in Baltimore through an epidemiologic, data analysis perspective. I applied to this program because I wanted to gain firsthand insight into the communities behind the numbers! I am currently performing HIV/HCV testing with Sisters Together and Reaching (STAR) through a mobile van outreach unit.
I have had an incredible experience working with STAR over the past 5 months. I also serve as a tutor at the Baltimore City Jail, so being able to go out into the communities that I have heard so much about from the inmates has been an eye-opening experience. In addition to learning the tremendously useful technical aspects of HIV/HCV testing and transmission, I think that I have had equally important experiences by talking to the people who come to get tested. These conversations helped me appreciate the incredibly hard lives people face in Baltimore’s highly segregated, impoverished neighborhoods. In addition, being part of Generation Tomorrow has given me added perspective into how important social inequities and social networks are in the transmission of HIV/HCV.
I think that being part of Generation Tomorrow has further informed my intent to become a public health practitioner. I look forward to the rest of my time in this fantastic program.
