ELP Experience: Felicia Avevor (Fall 2023)

11/24/2023

Tell us about you…

My name is Felicia Avevor, and I recently graduated from SUNY Albany with a Bachelor’s in Public Health. I learned about the Let’s Talk Public Health Experiential Learning Program (ELP) through the undergraduate Public Health Blackboard page, where job and internship opportunities were posted. I wanted to join the ELP because of a health communication class I had taken during my senior year. I wanted to be able to apply the things I had learned in that class and create my own social media campaign. I hoped to use what I learned in that class to create an effective campaign that would educate my target audience on the importance of maternal and child health and learn to create health media that was easy to understand.

Tell us about what you worked on…

During this process, I worked on creating Instagram posts, posters, and an informative video on the topic of maternal and child health, the importance of the issue, and how it impacts black mothers and children. In order to put this all together, I gathered information regarding disparities in maternal and child health and researched resources that exist in NYC that can aid black mothers throughout their pregnancy and help them get the right support for themselves and their children. Gathering this information helped me come up with the message I wanted to push with this campaign. I wanted to reach black moms in NYC and inform them of the resources out there and the importance of advocating for the health of themselves and their babies.

Tell us what you learned…

While completing this campaign, I found that I struggled a lot with creating Instagram posts. As a professional in the public health field, I’m used to seeing a lot of data and being able to digest and make sense of the information I’m receiving. However, I found that I was putting a lot of data-heavy information in my posts, which also contained a lot of jargon. Through this process and with guidance from Monique, I learned to convey information in a way that’s easy to digest for people who may not know much about public health. I learned that when it comes to health communication, I had to take into consideration people’s literacy levels and the target audience I was trying to reach. While creating these social media posts, posters, and video, I had to think about how I use social media and used that to inform how I went about creating my media. I learned to make my posts direct and to the point as well as engaging. Throughout this process, I learned a lot about the resources that NYC has to offer, and I learned more about the complications that may occur during pregnancy and the disparities that exist among the different racial groups.

Tell us what the best part was…

One thing I loved about the ELP was the freedom I had to explore a topic I was passionate about and create informative pieces of media, sharing what I learned in hopes of other people seeing it and understanding why it’s so important. I also appreciate Monique’s flexibility. The time I participated in the ELP was also a challenging time in my personal life. Monique was very understanding and helpful throughout the journey, and I am very grateful to her for that. The Instagram posts that I created are my favorite part of my campaign because I was able to relay the information that I wanted in a simple, easy-to-understand manner, and I like how they turned out visually.

Tell us about your future…

The experience I gained in the ELP has helped me in my current line of work. I work for a local county health department, and part of what I do is health education. I create social media posts, and I use what I learned through this program as I make my posts. I ask myself questions like, “Does this contain jargon? Is it easy to understand? Is it readable?” and I use that as I make these posts. I keep in mind what audience it is I’m trying to reach and curate any posts I make with that information in mind. To any future ELP participants, I would emphasize taking your time to think about how you’re relaying your information as well as asking questions. I would also say to enjoy the experience. You’ll pick up new skills and knowledge, and it’s important to enjoy what you’re doing; choose a topic you are passionate about and want to bring more awareness to.

By: Felicia Avevor