What you learn in classes is a lot of interdisciplinary work. It’s good. But internships have given me actual work experience. I’m not just learning from a book, but seeing how the work directly makes an impact.
Jalen Moore, ’26, admits he’s learned a lot in the classroom, but said it’s the internships at Bridgewater State University that have helped him gain real-world experience and a clearer vision in terms of his career goals.
“What you learn in classes is a lot of interdisciplinary work. It’s good. But internships have given me actual work experience. I’m not just learning from a book, but seeing how the work directly makes an impact,” Jalen said.
The rising BSU senior initially wanted to pursue a career as a physical therapist, but after taking a class with Dr. Lydia Burak, he became a public health major.
“Prior to her class, I didn’t know much about public health, but Dr. Burak persuaded me to switch and showed me that public health is so broad, that there are many things you can do with it,” Jalen said.
Promoting health equity was also a driving force in his decision.
“Often in public health you immediately think of health as ‘wellness,’ but it’s also about how race, gender and identity can affect people and generational health,” Jalen said. “I really became interested because I want to come up with ways to prevent injustices and be a driving force in human advocacy and health equity.”
According to Jalen, Dr. Burak and Vinny DeMacedo, BSU’s senior advisor for external relations, helped him secure his first internship working with Public Health Excellence Group out of Halifax. There he learned from health agents working at Public Health Departments in Halifax, Bridgewater, East Bridgewater, West Bridgewater, Middleboro, and Raynham.
His second internship was with Team Birth, a program run through the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women’s Hospital where he learned how to improve patient’s birthing experiences and outcomes. It also helped him realize what direction he wanted to explore career-wise – maternal health.
This summer, Jalen secured an internship as a maternal and health intern with Sister to Sister International, an organization that links women, girls, and families of African descent around the world to important resources.
The scope of his work includes updating materials on the Sister to Sister International website, attending monthly meetings, generating educational materials, and helping to connect women and girls of African descent to relevant resources. A lot of the work is done on a global level, further exposing Jalen to diverse communities and expanding his understanding of global outreach.
Each internship has reinforced his decision to pursue a major in public health. Upon graduating next spring from BSU he knows he wants to work in a career that makes a difference.
“I really want to work on the community level, to install programming that improves things on a local level,” Jalen said. “I want to make personal connections, to listen to the stories, and to be part of the change, to help figure out ways to strengthen community.”
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