PHAA Board of Directors Diversity Fellowships | 2021

Wow! With the generosity of over 30 donors we have nearly reached our goal of crowdfunding $10,000 for the Public Health Alumni Association (PHAA) Diversity Fellowships in less than one week! We are so humbled by and appreciative of our community's collective effort to support. But this campaign doesn't stop here! We have a stretch goal of $16,000 to fund an additional 3 scholarships at $2,000 each. The crowdfunding campaign doesn't come to a close until February 28, 2021, so we have a great opportunity to raise even more funds for student scholarships!  Please help us continue to spread the campaign and support students from underrepresented backgrounds. You can spread the word by sharing this link: https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/24405.

Diversity is vital in public health and the development of a diverse public health workforce must be centered in schools of public health. One of the values of the UC Berkeley School of Public Health is “Strength through Diversity,” which our community embraces in education, research, and service. While our underrepresented minority student population has increased in recent years, the School of Public Health could be doing more to create an inclusive, equitable environment for graduate students from these diverse backgrounds. One real and tangible way to do that is by providing fellowships to these students. Supporting underrepresented students in their public health education, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic,  is a key step in addressing health inequities in the long term. 

We are asking alumni, faculty, family, and friends of the School of Public Health to support these students by donating to provide the financial aid that they need to thrive at the School of Public Health and in their future public health careers.

Please donate to support 5 underrepresented minority students, each with a one-year, $2000 fellowship for the next academic year. If we exceed our goal, we may be able to fund additional fellowships! Last year the Public Health Alumni Association was able to fund 6 fellowships through this crowdfunding opportunity! (Please note that there is a campus-imposed 5% gift fee on all donations and a 2.5% processing charge for credit card transactions but the remaining entirety of the donation goes towards student fellowships.)

One huge hurdle to achieving diversity in education is the increasing cost of tuition and the many expenses associated with being a student. High costs can have an even greater impact on underrepresented students (who may be particularly susceptible to the financial hardships created by the COVID-19 pandemic) and financial aid can be a deciding factor for many. We want to ensure money is not an obstacle to pursuing a degree for those interested in careers in public health.

The PHAA Diversity Fellowship has allowed me the opportunity to flourish at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health. As a first-generation student and immigrant woman of color, the scholarship has allowed me to strive instead of merely survive. The assistance of this fellowship has allowed me to focus my efforts on conducting robust research with the Berkeley COVID-19 Safe Campus Initiative in the midst of a global pandemic as well as lead efforts on campus to increase diversity, inclusion, and retention of underrepresented students.

— Mariah De Zuzuarregui MPH 2021 (Health and Social Behavior)

PHAA Diversity and Inclusion Fellowship recipient, 2019-20

The Public Health Alumni Association Board of Directors is a group of alumni volunteers who represent all alumni of the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. We help alumni support the mission of the School and strengthen personal and professional relationships among public health alumni and students. One of our particular goals is to support diversity in the field of public health and ensure an inclusive, welcoming climate at the School for all of our students.

For any specific questions please contact PHAA Board Member Gathenji Njoroge (gathenji_njoroge@berkeley.edu)