Former Interns: Spring 2021
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Derek Salma
MPH - Community Health Education
Derek is currently a CSUN graduate student pursuing his Masters in Public Health degree with an emphasis in community health education and works full-time as a Policy Analyst for the Department of Social Services in statewide child trafficking response efforts. He has worked in multiple community-based settings aimed at family health and empowerment, program and curriculum development, and county- and statewide health program evaluation.
His passion lies in ensuring the integration of culturally responsive and trauma-informed practices into community-based health programming and policy. Outside of the classroom and office, Derek loves to spend time with his dog, travel, and be outdoors in nature.
Guadalupe (Lupita) Leon-Diaz
MPH - Community Health Education
Hello my name is Lupita, I am a second-year graduate student at CSUN, completing my masters in Public Health with an emphasis on community health education. When I am not in school, I enjoy spending time outdoors with family and friends. Currently I am living in the central coast of CA. But I am extremely excited to be a part of the HERE Center and making a change in the community, especially during this pandemic.
Hanli Su
Economics and Philosophy
Hanli Su is a CSUN Senior majoring in Economics and Philosophy. Born in Vietnam and grew up in West Covina, CA she is proud to be a first generation college student. Having experienced first hand the strengths and challenges of immigrating to the U.S with her family she strives for social change through her interest in policy analysis and reforms, especially in Health Economics, International Economics, and Environmental Economics.
Heyli Diep
MPH - Community Health Education
I am a CSUN graduate student pursuing an MPH degree with a focus on Community Health and a full time middle school teacher. I also volunteer as a volunteer engagement coordinator at Love For Our Elders, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting isolated seniors. My current passions lie with researching environmental issues that impact human health and educating communities, especially those with more health disparities, so they can be empowered to advocate for their own health.
I spent the Fall semester of 2020 researching the Aliso Canyon Blowout and its impacts for the HERE Center. In my free time, I enjoy spending time outdoors and writing. I just published a children’s book called If You Give a Girl a Bike in hopes of diversifying the featured sports and making them more inclusive for young girls.
Irma Gabriela Nadir
MPH - Community Health Education
An inspiring individual with unwavering passion for community and public service, working diverse communities and advocating for progress in underserved communities. Has competent knowledge of public health and healthy aging with an interest in supporting local, state, and federal support for older adults that include quality of care throughout end stages of life.
Equipped with a Bachelor’s in Science (B.S.) of Public Health. Special Interests and a love for learning procured a University Approved Graduate Certificate in Gerontology. Currently a candidate for a Master’s in Public Health - Community Health Education (MPH) from the California State University of Northridge.
Kayva Dhyasani
Computer Science
Hello there! Welcome to my bio. My name is Kavya Dhyasani and I am a fourth year at CSUN majoring in computer science. I am so excited to be part of the HERE research program as I have the opportunity to apply my knowledge towards data and learn about the health disparities around the San Fernando Valley, as well the country.
Melanie Mejia
M.S. Geographic Information Science
I am interested in studying and analyzing health disparities in the San Fernando Valley. During my time as an undergraduate student in the NSF Data Science Program, I worked on a project with Dr. Steve Graves analyzing health disparities in the San Fernando Valley such as high blood pressure, obesity, tree canopy, etc. More recently, as a graduate student, and with the help of Dr. Carrie Saetermoe, I was looking at hospital data to analyze infant and mother mortality rates in Los Angeles County.
Currently, I am starting to work on my thesis studying period poverty in the San Fernando Valley. I have been analyzing school attendance data of LAUSD schools in the valley, and I want to explore a possible correlation between period poverty and attendance rates.
Monique Peralta
MPH - Community Health Education
My name is Monique Peralta and I am a Master’s in Public Health student at CSUN. I graduated from CSU, Fresno with a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Sciences. During the last several years I have worked in the behavioral health/substance use disorder community to reduce the stigma of seeking out mental health and other community services. I am inspired daily by the individuals I work with.
Simram Gill
Computer Science
I am majoring in Computer /Science and minoring in Data Science, expecting to graduate in Spring 2021. I will be working on a Data Science related project with the HERE Center. I hope to help get interesting results using statistical analyzation.