WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.000 Music. 00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:11.000 What I like best about the community health major is the hands on opportunities that we have. 00:00:11.000 --> 00:00:19.000 Music. 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:24.000 I would tell a student that was thinking about majoring in community health that if they're interested in health 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:30.000 but do not want to work in a clinical setting that they should go and study this major because it's focused on prevention. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:36.000 The community health major here at Western allows students to develop 00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:46.000 skills to solve real life problems and to give back to their communities while developing very successful careers. 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:53.000 My name is Kristie Polanco and I am currently a primary care administration graduate intern with Kaiser Permanente. 00:00:53.000 --> 00:00:62.000 I decided to become a community health major when my dad was diagnosed with diabetes in 2008 and I was in my second year at Western Oregon. 00:01:02.000 --> 00:01:09.000 Because diabetes runs in my family and in the Latino community, I wanted to focus on prevention strategies. 00:01:09.000 --> 00:01:18.000 What I like the best about the community health major, was the comprehensive courses that really provided an insight into public health and helped us develop skills. 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:25.000 So courses such as program planning and evaluation were really helpful once I went out into the public health field. 00:01:25.000 --> 00:01:33.000 And also the professors are always available to help and you build a relationship, a connection with them that is really helpful. 00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:39.000 So what I've accomplished with this degree in the last four years is that I've been able to work as a community health worker. 00:01:39.000 --> 00:01:44.000 In that role, I've been able to do research in health policy and other subjects. 00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:52.000 I've been able to do health promotion in the community, advocacy work, and also doing capacity building with community members. 00:01:52.000 --> 00:01:58.000 That has motivated me to seek more education so I am currently doing a masters degree in Public Health. 00:01:58.000 --> 00:01:63.000 And what I hope to do with that is work in health policy. 00:02:03.000 --> 00:02:08.000 My name is Elizabeth Madera, I am a senior in community health education here at Western. 00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:12.000 And I am from Independence, Oregon. 00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:20.000 I decided to become a community health major because I wanted to give back to the community by helping younger generations by living a healthier life. 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:29.000 For example, I was part of the development of a community garden that will benefit head start families and have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. 00:02:29.000 --> 00:02:37.000 I recommend community health here at Western because we have a closer relationship with our faculty members and have smaller class sizes. 00:02:37.000 --> 00:02:45.000 And in my case coming from a first time generation student, it was important for me to have a faculty mentor. 00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:48.000 I also like that in our classes we did community service. 00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:52.000 For example, in my healthy human service class I have volunteered at Head Start. 00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:58.000 And with this experience, this has lead me to secure a job with them. 00:02:58.000 --> 00:02:60.000 To get a degree in community health, 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:05.000 here at Western Oregon University students have to complete two sets of common core classes. 00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:11.000 The first set include classes such a community and public health and human anatomy. 00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:20.000 The second set of the required community health core classes requires courses such as epidemiology, program evaluation, program planning, 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:29.000 and students complete their experience with an internship in the field where they get to apply their knowledge learned in the real world. 00:03:29.000 --> 00:03:33.000 Community health majors have many opportunities for different types of jobs. 00:03:33.000 --> 00:03:39.000 For example, a major in community health can pursue a career in public health. 00:03:39.000 --> 00:03:45.000 Working for county health departments, for hospitals as health navigators, health advocates, 00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:51.000 or they can also pursue careers in human services becoming case workers, social workers. 00:03:51.000 --> 00:03:53.000 They can become youth advocates. 00:03:53.000 --> 00:03:58.000 One of the good things about this degree is that students can apply to different fields. 00:03:58.000 --> 00:03:65.000 I would definitely recommend others to attend Western for a community health degree because the small class sizes 00:04:05.000 --> 00:04:09.000 allowed you to really develop the skills that you need in public health. 00:04:09.000 --> 00:04:18.000 Also it's that place where you can get individual attention, you build a connection and a relationship with professors that is really helpful in your public health career. 00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:23.000 Faculty now have programs that come from a variety of fields like epidemiology, 00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:28.000 human services, mental health professionals, demographers. 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:33.000 These allow students to get exposed to different types of knowledge and experiences. 00:04:33.000 --> 00:04:40.000 Additionally, our faculty is well connected to the community and provide excellent opportunities for the students. 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:46.000 I am a proud first generation college student and my parents migrated from Mexico. 00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:56.000 We have had hard times but with the support system that I have received here at Western I have been able to pursue my degree in community health. 00:04:56.000 --> 00:04:60.000 Western Oregon University was definitely the right choice for me. 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:06.000 Music.