McKayla Marin McConkie

Profile

While earning my degree, my greatest supporters were:
My beloved husband Joey, who truly is the sunshine of my life, my incredible parents Brian and Marilyn Traub, who have always been the wind beneath my wings, my amazing in-laws John and Liz McConkie, my siblings, each professor I've had, every member of my MPH cohort, whose friendships I will cherish forever, and our sweet baby boy due in May, who has given me the strength to keep going.

What I enjoyed most about my experience at BYU was:
I have loved being in a unique environment where secular and spiritual learning are one. I have been constantly surrounded by peers and professors who believed in me, pushed me, and inspired me to strive for excellence. I’ve discovered much more of my passion and purpose in life because of my time in the Master’s program.

While earning my degree I was involved in the following clubs/organizations:
I loved being a part of the Utah Department of Health's Healthy Living through Environment, Policy, and Improved Clinical Care Program (EPICC) team for a year. During that time, I worked in the areas of childhood obesity prevention, breastfeeding promotion, and vaccination efforts in response to the coronavirus.

I plan to use my degree to:
Serve mothers, children, and pregnant women in underserved communities, both domestically and globally, and help improve health outcomes for them. I will also use my degree to bless the lives of my children.

Now that I have completed the program, I'm most looking forward to:
Being a mother, and using the knowledge and skills I have developed to give back to others.