Local, National and Global Impact

Victoria Kwentua’s goal is to work in global health. Graduating with an MPH in Maternal Child Health she already has a good start working with a variety of cultures promoting breastfeeding with refugees recently acculturated to the U.S. and researching respite services to community leaders dealing with the trauma associated with refugee status. Victoria appreciates the foundational knowledge and skills she learned in UNT Health Science Center’s MPH in Maternal and Child Health program. She feels her graduate assistant work in the program paralleled her coursework bridging real life application with core public health principles. After graduation, she heads to a HRSA internship using epidemiological and statistical analysis to examine the prevalence of a variety of health issues throughout the state of Louisiana. Victoria’s home is Baton Rouge so she hopes to learn more about the health of her home state while at the same time building her research skills and expertise in preparation for a PhD in Global Health. 

During Victoria’s practicum at the March of Dimes, she worked to bring additional local and national partners to Project Alpha. Project Alpha joins Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation collaboratively to provide education, motivation and skill-building on issues of responsibility, relationships, teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases to young males ages 12-15 years. Project Alpha delivers education on sexuality, fatherhood and the role of males in relationships, motivates young men to make decisions about their goals and values, and act in ways that support their decisions and builds young men’s skills through role-playing and appropriate male role models and mentors. Victoria added the Fatherhood Coalition, Boys and Girls Club and North Texas Alliance for the Reduction of Unintended Pregnancy in Teens. Victoria’s contributions extended the reach of the program both locally and nationally to help lower high teen birth rates, high sexually transmitted infection rates among minority teens and intimate partner violence to improve the health and safety of our local and national communities.