From classroom to career: How the international practicum helped me find my place in the world of global health

As a student at Boston University School of Public Health, I tailored my coursework to focus on my passion: international women's health. Throughout my academic career, I was able to narrow this broad interest to maternal health among the urban poor in Southeast Asia. While course projects provided me with the opportunity to develop various core public health skills, my lack of prior field experience prevented me from understanding how these skills could be applied on the ground. My international practicum experience with Asha Society in New Delhi, India allowed me to observe how a non-governmental organization operates and to determine where my skill set fits within this type of organization. My assignments enhanced my comprehension of maternal health program design and strengthened my proposal writing skills, giving me the confidence to steer my career path towards positions that prioritize these aspects of public health. Having the opportunity to work with professionals of another culture improved my ability to understand the importance of cultural competence and increased my ability to adapt to a different way of life. Finally, being assigned tasks that may result in a direct benefit to Asha Society built up confidence in myself as a public health professional.