Katelyn Murphy '22

Why did you choose Texas A&M Public Health?

My first introduction to public health was during my undergraduate program through an organization called MEDLIFE (Medicine, Education and Development for Low Income Families Everywhere). I traveled to Peru twice to help conduct mobile clinics and health education workshops for underserved rural populations in both Cusco and Lima. At the time, I was not aware of the connection to public health in the work we were doing. I really started to understand the depth of public health when I applied for a part-time job in the Office of Student Affairs. It was then that I started to make connections to public health in my clinical volunteer experience and found a love for this field. Backed by the support of the staff within my office as well as faculty whose classes I had taken to complete a minor in public health, I decided to pursue a master’s degree in Health Promotion and Community Health Sciences because of my growing interest in the social and behavioral factors that influence individual and population health. 

Now as the administrative coordinator for the Office of Student Affairs, I lead our student engagement program development and implementation. This includes student monthly mingles, holiday potlucks, public health “PHield” day during finals’ week, and other programs. I love my job because I get to target the social aspects of student health which are an important part of health promotion. Throughout the implementation of different student events, I have been able to apply theories from my public health courses to the development of programs that contribute to student wellness and help support our students’ experience at the school.

I have always had an interest in women’s health and reproduction which led me to apply for the Central Texas Maternal and Child Health Program led by Dr. Maria Perez-Patron, in the department of epidemiology and biostatistics. I am looking forward to obtaining the Maternal and Child Health certificate as well as completing a practicum that evaluates the effectiveness of state agencies and local nonprofits to address maternal and child health issues in Texas. This program is one of many examples of how the school provides students with opportunities to obtain experience in their desired fields.

Given the workload between my full-time job and classes, the amount of support I received from my coworkers, cohort, and faculty positively impacted my experience at the school. I was surrounded by people who were constantly cheering for me, and I got the opportunity to learn from the faculty and other students in my cohort who have different backgrounds and experiences in life and in public health.

I am currently a project administrator with Texas A&M AgriLfe.

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