How travel impacted my career in Public Health
By Nicole Piscopio | December, 1 2021
A few years ago, I found myself feeling restless, antsy, and burnt out from the grind of working a full-time job while going to school at night. In my final semester of my master’s in public health program, I was quite literally counting down the days until I would walk across the stage and receive my diploma. Ready to start over and make an impact, I found myself wondering what I would do next. Would I keep working at my full-time job and enjoy the summer before starting a new career path? Should I start looking for jobs now, knowing it would add another complex side dish to my already full plate? Or should I do something wild or crazy, something like quitting my job unexpectedly and starting over in a faraway place?
“Wild” and “crazy” isn’t really my style, but international travel and education is. I had the privilege of receiving scholarships to fund my travel obsession in both high school and college, which led me to both Europe and South America for several months. The realization sunk in that soon I would no longer be a student and wouldn’t be able to rely on international coursework and internships to feed my inner travel bug. I was at a loss for what to do next and found myself clicking on job postings aimlessly, feeling detached at the thought of working another 9-5 in a hospital or corporate setting.
After several days of clicking through hundreds of job ads online, I stumbled upon a job posting for a Program Leader position for the Public Health in the Caribbean trip in the Dominican Republic. My hands flew across the keyboard as I answered all the questions on the application in a hurried frenzy, as if I was competing against the clock. I was hesitant to get my hopes up out of fear of not receiving the opportunity but knew in my heart that this was it for me – this was my chance to do something different, to make an impact by educating high school students and advancing my career by continuing to learn and grow personally and professionally. The thought of spending two months in the Dominican Republic volunteering in the community and working on public health initiatives while teaching high school students more about healthcare systems and public health made me feel a thrill that I hadn’t felt since the last time I received the opportunity to travel internationally, and I wanted this opportunity more than I wanted anything in that moment (besides my diploma, of course).
Just a few weeks later, I received an invitation to meet a few members of the team on skype and within a few days of interviewing, I learned that I had secured a spot on Team DReam and would be planning to leave for the Dominican Republic just a few weeks after graduation. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to be chosen for such an incredible opportunity, and at the time I had no idea how the experience would impact my future career.
When I arrived in the Dominican Republic, I was immediately put at ease by the nature of the individuals who greeted me upon arrival. Everyone was outgoing, warm, and passionate about the company and the work they were doing. The sense of community that I felt during those first few days of training was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. The level of connection that we built within just a few days of training as a group was truly remarkable, and I remember thinking how excited I was embark on such a pivotal journey.
After a few days of trying every local food I could get my hands on (I still crave the taste of the rice, beans, and plantains that I ate consistently throughout my time in the DR) and learning the ins and outs of the tools needed to be successful as a Program Leader, I was excited to welcome our first group of students and get out in the community. From working on local public health initiatives like playing educational games with children to demonstrate the importance of healthy hand washing to working with local masons to build latrines and cement floors for local community members, we came together as a group to educate ourselves on important local public health issues so that we could better serve our communities both locally and internationally. After spending two months in the DR, I left knowing that I wanted to devote my career to improving public health outcomes for individuals and communities by increasing access to healthcare and targeting key social determinants of health.
It is difficult to count the ways in which my life changed from the two months I spent in the DR. Personally, I learned grit and resilience and key interpersonal skills that I developed from working and living with so many different people. Several years later, it is safe to say that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the field of public health in ways we never thought possible. Currently, I am working as the Operations Manager for Northeastern University’s COVID-19 Testing Program to ensure that we can continue to keep our community safe and healthy so our students can continue to learn and grow. I often think about those days I spent in the DR working with high school students to create fun and innovative ways to teach children how to wash their hands, a seemingly simple action that could potentially have lifesaving consequences today, and I wonder if both the students I worked with and the children they taught remember it and think of the significance like I often do.
When I think back to those two months in the DR, I always remember how the kindness of the locals and the dedication of the team was apparent every step of the way. Despite our different educational, career, and cultural backgrounds, we all came together and persevered to work towards a common goal while managing to have a lot of fun and share a lot of laughs throughout the process. My travel bug has unfortunately been a bit more dormant these days because of international travel restrictions and my current career, but I’m hoping that will start to change soon enough. Though I’m quite a bit far away from palm trees and a Caribbean breeze, I’m thankful that I have such incredible memories and life experiences to look back on in the meantime. I hope it’s only a matter of time before I can return to the Dominican Republic to relive some of my memories, enjoy some chinola, and say “que lo que” to everyone I meet, but for now I’ll have to settle by reliving my memories and listening to my dembow playlist on repeat.
