Alyssa May Baer

Profile

While earning my degree, my greatest supporters were:
While at BYU, my greatest supporters have been Dr. Robbie Chaney and Dr. Ali Crandall. I've had the chance to TA and complete research with both of these amazing professors and I am so grateful for the support and mentorship they have given me. Both of these faculty members have advocated for me and given me opportunities to apply PH to real-world experiences. I'm grateful for their support both during my time at BYU and in applying and preparing for grad school. Thank you both for everything! I know that I am a better PH professional and person because of my time working with you. I also want to thank my amazing family for all of their support and love!

What I enjoyed most about my experience at BYU was:
The thing I've enjoyed most about my experience has been being involved in opportunities to apply what I've learned to real-world situations. I've loved being able to work closely with professors and students on research, case competitions, and projects in the community. I'm especially grateful for my internships and employment at Mothers Without Borders. Working here has given me the chance to work in health communication, fundraising, and program evaluation—all with the most amazing team!

While earning my degree I was involved in the following clubs/organizations:
While at BYU I have been heavily involved in BYU Y-Serve—serving as a Program Director and Executive Director for Project Uplift, and now as a Service Council Member. I have loved this opportunity to work in the community and to help facilitate service opportunities for BYU students. I have also completed the BYU Honors Program, and the Ballard Scholar for Social Impact. I loved learning about interdisciplinary approaches to solving social issues through these programs!

I plan to use my degree to:
I will be starting graduate school this coming fall and am excited to study Maternal and Child Health in my MPH program. I plan to use my degree to work in the nonprofit/social impact space and hope to work with maternal and child health issues. Additionally, I will be continuing to work for Mothers Without Borders—leading their evaluation efforts of their international development programs for children in Zambia. I have come to love interdisciplinary work and hope to better facilitate communication and partnerships between the government, business, and nonprofit sectors to initiate lasting change for these communities.

Now that I have completed the program, I'm most looking forward to:
I'm most looking forward to putting the skills I learned in the PH program to work in the field. During my last year at BYU, I have been able to design and implement an evaluation program for Mothers Without Borders as part of my Undergraduate Honors Thesis. I have loved being able to apply these skills to real-world situations. I love talking to our local staff and seeing the impact of these programs. I am looking forward to working with people to advocate for change in their lives and communities. I'm also looking forward to a relaxing summer before graduate school, and the chance to go to Zambia in July! :)