Brittani Carter

In hopes of learning more about how to systematically and academically approach the disparities affecting my community, I started looking for research opportunities to gain more experience and insight on the topic at hand. I successfully competed for a job as a Research Assistant at Emory Universitys Rollins School of Public Health: Global Health Department. In this position, I worked with a professor who is studying HIV among young African American men who have sex with men. I also had the opportunity to interact with community-based organizations such as the Atlanta Coalition for LGBTQ youth (ACFLY) and AID Atlanta. These meetings proved to me that there are many people out there like myself, who have the passion and drive for helping the African American community. These experiences have helped me to realize that public health is the avenue that will help me reach my goal: it combines elements of the community with elements of academia, all areas where I feel I can excel and make a difference.