Foundation for Sustainable Development - Alice Tin

Alice Tin

alice.tin@tufts.edu

Major: History and Community Health Major

Tufts program & expected graduate year:  School of Arts and Sciences, 2010; Bachelor’s/Masters in Public Health Program 2011

At the Foundation for Sustainable Development , I will be supporting their day-to-day functions and administering a health needs survey that will help improve the clinic’s services and generate data that will substantiate grant applications to support the clinic’s current programs.

I am a junior majoring in History and Community Health. Growing up, I divided my time between the U.S., Singapore and Hong Kong, and I have also lived in France and Spain. Thus I believe that identity is not necessarily tied to geography, and my academic interests reflect this belief. Through an amalgamation of history courses, I am exploring the processes with which populations form their identity. I am also interested in the ways culture, especially language, can be harnessed to close gaps in health disparities. I speak English, Mandarin and Cantonese, and developing my proficiency in French and Spanish.

These past two years, I have been working with a grassroots health organization in Somerville, MA, advocating for immigrant health rights, which has given me a valuable background in community organizing. I am an avid traveler, but my travels have not yet taken me to Central America, and I am eager to embark on my exploration of this region with FSD. My previous travels have mostly been of a touristic or educational nature, and I am looking forward to integrating myself in Nicaraguan society and applying the skills I have learned both in the classroom and in Somerville to serve Tola.

I am currently enrolled in the combined degree Bachelor’s/Masters in Public Health program at Tufts, and I plan to pursue a concentration in Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Eventually, I want to pursue a medical degree. There is an immense capacity to overlap clinical and public health practices, and I look forward to being at the interface of those two fields.

In my spare time, I enjoy playing my violin, reading and running. I also hope to spend a lot of time in Nicaragua’s beautiful outdoors.