Samples of Work

This artifact is a literary analysis of the book Amor, curiosidad, prozac, y dudas, written by the Spanish author Lucia Etxebarría. Analyzing this work gave me greater insight into the development of feminism for Spanish women following decades of strict oppression during the dictatorship. I gained a greater appreciation for how women and others can emulate progress and that femininity will look different for everyone. In this essay, I compare the experiences of two women living during the transitional period in Spain. One works in nightlife, indulging in every experience that was not an option for women during the Franco regime. The other is a successful professional constantly striving for the respect of her male counterparts. This analysis helped me practice cultural humility in recognizing my biases and not making assumptions based on them. 

While in Toledo, Spain, I had the opportunity to interview a family of Spanish women about their experiences. The women comprised three generations of the same family: the grandmother, who had lived much of her early life during Franco’s dictatorship; the mother, raised in a transitional Spain; the daughter, 14 years old, who only knew Spain of the 21st century. Additionally, they often mentioned a great-grandmother who had been born shortly before the Spanish Civil War and lived through the entire dictatorship. Through this, I gained insight into what it could have been like growing up in a time when women were stripped of many rights, as well as how those events affected women during the transition to democracy and still now today. This interview helped me better understand the cultural implications of gender discrimination in the past on life for women today. 

This artifact is a literature review of Honduras's healthcare system's strengths and weaknesses. It examines in detail the structure of the healthcare system, its history and reforms, and its performance on different aspects of care. Writing this paper taught me more about the Honduran health system and how it compares to the systems of other Latin American countries and the United States. I have a greater understanding of the different models of healthcare systems and the strengths and weaknesses of each. I also developed my skills in technical Spanish and writing professionally. This analysis has helped me to become a better writer and investigator. 

This artifact is a culmination of several reflections throughout my time abroad in Toledo, Spain, including experiences from my internship, with my host family, and out in the community. I used aspects I had encountered daily in Spain and researched them further to build a more holistic understanding of the concept. Through these reflections, I learned more about Spain in a real sense that I could then apply to the work I performed in my internship. This reflection also allowed me to build technical writing skills using a different form of citations than I was accustomed to. Finally, I developed an appreciation and skill for daily research, using evidence to support my ideas and formulate my thoughts. 

This artifact is a literature review regarding research on physical activity among college students. In this review, I explore various factors that impact students’ participation in physical activity through multiple health behavior models, including the Health Belief Model, the Theory of Planned Behavior, and the Transtheoretical Model. I also examine interpersonal, interpersonal, and systemic factors influencing college students' health behaviors. This topic especially interests me because of my experience as a fitness instructor on a college campus. Being cognizant of health behavior theories and social determinants of health has helped me be a better fitness instructor and will help me become a more compassionate health professional. 

In this artifact, I explore health in Honduras using the Sustainable Development Goals. Specifically, I examine target 3.7 of SDG3, which aims to ensure access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services on a global level. This paper allowed me to develop skills in analyzing the social determinants that contribute to problems in health and devise solutions to help combat these problems. Target 3.7 of the SDGs is an area of health that especially interests me, and this artifact allowed me to build my knowledge around this subject.