by Lilliam Rosado

 

She is a certified teacher of health at Hacknesack High School. Gracie Medina was hired as a certified health teacher with a Teacher of Health and Driver's Education Certification. When I saw Gracie Medina, she was on-campus at an English as a Second Language (ESL) conference receiving teacher preparation classes. Ms. Medina will be teaching (ESL) classes at Hackensack High School along with her health classes. She loves her job as a high school teacher and hopes to start graduate studies this year. "I'm thankful to everyone in the Health Sciences Department for helping me get this job".

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Overcoming Adversity

By Gail Gordon

 

Beatriz Amador went through many changes during her studies at NJCU. She started as an undergraduate in Community Health while she was working at UPS and raising a teenage daughter. At first it was tough because Beatriz’s first language is Spanish. In class it was a challenge to speak and write in English. She was especially intimidated by those students who were in the health field and seemed to know so much more.

 

But when asked about the main thing she took away from her education at NJCU she said it was the support of the faculty. She learned to write and communicate better.

 

Then she got a job with the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI). At this time she was pursuing a Master’s degree at NJCU and still working with UPS. She was offered a buy-out from her UPS job and went to work full-time with NAMI. There she did outreach work and formed support groups for families of the mentally ill in Northern New Jersey. She also trained teachers who gave classes to families of the mentally ill called the Family to Family program. She worked at NAMI for four years.

 

Now Beatriz is working at North Hudson Community Action Corporation (NHCAC) as a community health educator for seven clinics. Her dream is to develop an entire health education department. At NHCAC she teaches patients about medication compliance, family planning, STD prevention and whatever else she is called upon to teach.

 

This successful woman, who was intimidated to give presentations because of her accent, now gives literally hundreds of presentations at conferences and health organizations. She is certainly a role model for current students who are struggling with some of the same issues as was Beatriz. The Health Sciences is truly proud of her accomplishments.

 

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Health Science Student to Work as a Health Educator in India

By Gail Gordon

 

“They are my sisters and brothers,” said Retty George, Community Health Education graduate, class of 2007. Retty is on her way to Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), India to work at a faith-based community center, Emanuel Ministries. Retty was interested in going to India during her undergraduate studies at NJCU. Then one day in church some representatives of the Kolkata center came to visit St. Thomas Evangelical Church in Bergenfield where Retty and her family are members. They appealed for support. The timing was perfect. Retty signed up to go.

 

Retty was an exceptional student in her undergraduate years at NJCU. She completed her internship at the Maternal and Child Health Consortium in Paramus. There she conducted health education regarding prevention of exposure to lead. Her primary assignment was to visit day care centers. She also worked on conferences related to post partum depression.

 

When asked about her education in Health Sciences, she stated that one of the most important things she learned was to become a health advocate for people. She said this was reinforced in many of her classes and gave her the courage to reach out and face challenges.

 

The Community Center in India has many programs to help the poor. These include educating poor children, training women in the sewing trade and doing STD and HIV education in the red light district. Currently the center serves about 1,500 children.

 

She will also be working with the children of the red light district who are compelled to work and are often paid with drugs, multiplying health problems. Retty noted that Mother Theresa once worked with the center, bringing in “pavement” children (i.e. children who lived on the streets) for help.

 

The Health Sciences Department is helping Retty with books and money. Her church contributed $2,000 for the center. If anyone is interested in contributing, contact Dr. Gail Gordon, at ext. 3432.

 

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Best Decision I Ever Made: The Journey of Alexis Librizzi

By Gail Gordon

 

"It may sound corny, but I feel so fulfilled. I'm doing exactly what I've always wanted to do." Alexis Librizzi has found her calling. She works as a Lead Poisoning Prevention Specialist at the Northern New Jersey Maternal and Child Health Consortium (NNJMC) in Paramus.

How she landed the job reads like one of those highly unlikely coincidence stories. Alexis started searching for a job as she neared graduation. She says she felt prepared to look for a job from the courses she took at NJCU. One day she noticed a job opening at NNJMCHC through Monster.com. She faxed her resume immediately. That same day she got a call from Retty George who completed her internship at NNJMCHC and was preparing to go to India for a job in health education (see related article). Retty called to tell her colleague and friend about the same job that Alexis had just seen on the internet. Alexis told Retty that her resume should be in the fax machine as they spoke! Retty got the resume and spoke to her supervisor about Alexis. Long story short, Alexis got the job. It was meant to be.

Alexis Librizzi started her college career in nursing at Brookdale Community College. After a while she realized that nursing was not what she wanted. She lived in Monmouth County at the time but had relatives in Seacaucus where she was born. She learned about the Health Sciences Department and the Community Health Education track from a cousin. Alexis says it was a perfect fit. "It was the best decision I ever made," she says.

It took commitment to commute four days a week from her home in Howell Township (Monmouth County) to NJCU. In between classes Alexis would hang out in the library or take a nap in her car. It took her two years to complete the program.

Alexis says she felt completely prepared for the job at NNJMC. When asked to find peer-reviewed articles on a topic by her supervisor she said it was a breeze. When asked about whether she felt comfortable with APA style referencing, she said, "Absolutely." She commented that Dr. Rosado was the APA Queen in her book.

Alexis loves her job. She is responsible for visiting day care centers and schools to educate children, parents and employees about the dangers of lead poisoning. She brings information about toy recalls as well. Along with this, she teaches nutrition. The Coalition is expanding to Warren, Sussex and Morris counties.

A love of working with people and working in the community makes this job a dream come true for Alexis. She feels that her degree has opened so many doors for her. When asked what she would recommend to current Community Health Education students, Alexis says, "Take advantage of everything that is offered. There are so many resources at NJCU. The classes are awesome."

This enthusiast 25 year old young woman is an inspiration and has a wonderful future ahead. We are truly proud of her and wish her the best.