As a rising junior in Douglass College, Rutgers University, Carolina decided to major in Public Health and Spanish. Her experience as a medical interpreter for the Eric B. Chandler Clinic in New Brunswick, NJ has awakened her passion to work in a health related field. Public Health allows her to work in areas such as community awareness and social outreach.
Carolina is fluent in Spanish, having immigrated to the United States from Peru at age 12. She decided to double-major in Spanish so that she will be able to translate medical and legal documents as well. Carolina explains, “I do not only want to speak the language, I want to be able to deal with politics and regulations surrounding New Jersey’s Spanish-speaking community.” After graduating from Rutgers, she hopes to participate in graduate work surrounding immigration and healthcare policies within the United States.
Carolina is quite active in the New Brunswick community. As the president of the Latin American Women’s Organization, she organizes Public Health forums for Latina women. She recently helped organized a Healthcare Symposium focusing on women’s health, which “was a learning experience, both as a scholar and a community organizer. I was able to understand the dedication and responsibilities that surround a major event based on research and public involvement. “
As a nationalized citizen, Carolina understands the difficulties that immigrants face when arriving in a new country. She participated in Project L/EARN to master the research tools necessary to pursue research on Latinos and their mental health status. Her long-term ambition is to enlist the Edward J. Bloustein School of Public Health and Planning Policy at Rutgers University as a resource in researching the living conditions of New Jersey’s immigrant community, in an effort to help create reliable public health for the disadvantaged.
