Alumni Stories: Nejere' Onomakpome in The Gambia
Can you tell us a little about where you studied abroad and what drew you to that location?
During my spring 2024 semester at Emory University, I participated in a multicultural immersive program with the School for International Training (SIT) International Honors Program Health and Communities (IHP). With the program I researched maternal and child healthcare stigmas and community-based solutions—interviewed experts from NGOs and government agencies, academics, and community leaders from rural and urban locations—for a global comparative analysis project. With SIT IHP, I immersed into the cultures of New Delhi, India, Cape Town, South Africa, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. What drew me to these respective locations is my deep longing to study global health inside and outside of the classroom. Since I was a child, I have dreamt of working with non-profit organizations such as The World Health Organization, Doctors Without Borders, and UNICEF. I picked this program due to the goal of immersing students in the rural and urban environments in each respective country. With SIT IHP, I was able to learn and interact with private and public healthcare facilities while gaining a deeper understanding of the connections between culture and well-being. Furthermore, it provided firsthand exposure to the work I desire to do. In each respective location, I gathered a basic understanding of the culture and maternal and child healthcare. Additionally, I was taught public health by local professors and interviewed community members.
Looking back, what were your biggest takeaways from the experience — personally or academically?
These experiences allowed me to gain a full picture of the intersections between government, systemic issues, and cultural influences. In all, this experience was a preview into my future and allowed me to begin to see my childhood dreams turning into reality. Without this experience, I would not have minored in Global Health, Societies, and Cultures at Emory in the fall of 2024 and taken interest in pursuing an MD/PhD after experiencing the joy of working and conducting interviews with women and children in each country.
How did Joy Worldwide’s support shape or enhance your study abroad journey?
Joy Worldwide provided me with a community and a network of support. I found it empowering to find a community focused on supporting people of color ( POC) to study abroad. As of right now, I am the first in my family to study abroad, and I hope to not be the last. Joy Worldwide is paving a way for POCs to focus on academic excellence, personal development, discovering the world around them, and freedom from any financial burden associated with studying abroad. Furthermore, Joy Worldwide provided insightful reflection questions while studying abroad to take a pause from the environment around and focus on the change that is occurring within.
What was the most memorable or impactful moment from your time abroad?
With SIT IHP, I had the privilege of living with homestay families in each respective location. One of my fondest memories is discovering the unknown beauty of dining tables. A place that held six seats, where I would claim a seat in my first days in the country, and it remained my assigned seat until the last day. The dining table is where I shared chai with my homestay family in India, broke fast with my family in South Africa during Ramadan, and listened to my Argentine homestay mom’s hopes and dreams, and every night when the dishes were cleared, my Indian homestay dad and I played slapjack. During the day, it transformed into a place of work where I would see my homestay mom in India tutoring students, my homestay siblings in South Africa completing their homework, and my Argentine homestay mom working from home. The dining table allowed for all language barriers to divide, meals to be shared, stories to be told, and laughter to fill the room and create; a deeper connection between my homestay families and me.
How has studying abroad influenced what you’re doing now or what you hope to do next?
My study abroad experience encouraged me to minor in Global Health, Societies, and Cultures during my senior year at Emory University. This complemented my major in anthropology and human biology and focus on health that can shape the culture and vice versa. Additionally, I was able to enroll in a course at Emory University Rollins School of Public Health focusing on project development in global environments. These experiences inspired me to participate in global development; as a result, I am working in the Gambia as a community health facilitator with the Peace Corps. As a community health facilitator, I conduct home visits, speaking with families about exclusively breastfeeding their newborn child, malaria prevention through encouraging community members to sleep under their malaria net, and handwashing practices. Additionally, I volunteer at the local health clinic once a month for the Reproductive Health Clinic, where there are prenatal screening, nutrition screening, and childhood vaccinations. Outside of this, I work with the school where I help assist with science lessons; Peer Health Club, where students teach students about important health topics; and Social and Environmental Club, where we focus on decreasing litter and air pollution. Currently, I am working on large projects such as working to fix broken taps within the community and collecting bags for a community tree planting event. When I finish my service, I hope to study epidemiology and earn my master's in public health before applying to medical school.