Name: Lillian

Year: Senior

Major: Biological Sciences

CFS Concentration: Field Studies in Public Health

I decided to participate in the Chicago Field Studies program because I had only recently become interested in Public Health as a senior and an adviser recommended the program to get a “taste” of Public Health. I am very glad that I received this advice! My internship along with the Chicago Field Studies class in public health has been really interesting so far!
I am currently an intern at North Shore Village (NSV). NSV is a non-profit organization which serves as a resource for older adults living independently. The organization is member-driven, meaning a lot of the volunteers that provide services such as transportation to medical services are also members of the “Villages.” It has really been interesting to see the way that non-profit organizations work and to work with a different population of people. NSV really focuses on the overall health of the people in their give population.

It is also great to take the class along with being in the internship. I am learning a lot about public health in America and am able to make connections to some of the things that my organization is doing. At first, it may not seem that NSV is really a public health organization, but taking this class alongside has helped me to apply what I am learning to how I work with NSV and has also changed the way I think about public health.

I would say the most interesting part of working with NSV is the population that I am working with. I have always worked with the younger population (usually children), so I decided to step up and take the challenge of working with older adults. I am so glad I did. I am learning so much about not only how the organization works, but life lessons from the members that I hope to apply later on in life.