Shelsy Zarate

“Hello” in your host country’s language: Hola
Home Institution (your U.S. University/College): Pomona College
Expected graduation year: 2024
Destination city & country: Merida, Mexico
Program provider: IFSA-Butler
Major/minor: Science, Technology, and Society — Biology + Social Studies Concentration
Latin American Studies — Literature and Cultural Studies Concentration
Demographics: Hispanic/Latinx, First-Generation College Student, Zapotec (Indigenous of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico)
Future career aspirations: My future career goals are to prolong and improve the quality of life of minority communities, most specifically that of indigenous migrant individuals, by organizing efforts to address the root causes of community and individual health disparities both inside and out of the clinical environment. As the oldest daughter of indigenous immigrants, and their medical document translator for as long as I can remember, I aim to work as a first-hand bridge to restructure education, pharma-patient relationships, and healthcare hazards, such as access to quality-food and the diabetes/high-blood pressure epidemic, that continue causing disproportionately higher death rates in our communities, as the COVID-19 pandemic so cruelly proved.
Top 3 goals for your time abroad: 1. Volunteer at a local organization in Mérida!
2. Take “Contemporary Issues in Public Health in the Yucatán,” a class where students examine the public and private healthcare systems in Mexico and the use of mainstream and traditional approaches to public health in both urban and rural settings.
3. Build amazing relationships with my host family, community, classmates, and other students from abroad.