Adrian Bacong

I am currently a graduate student in San Diego State University's Graduate School of Public Health. Though the body of my professional career is in education, my passion in academia inspires my interest in public health. As a Peer Tutor (and later Academic Success Coordinator) for Samahang Pilipino Advancing Community Empowerment (SPACE) during my undergraduate studies at UCLA, I learned about the barriers affecting students' (specifically underserved and underrepresented students of color) access to post-secondary education. My desire to combine my studies as a Physiological Science student with community engagement and educational access led to the creation of workshops addressing the holistic nature of academics (through stress, energy, and time management) during my final year of undergraduate studies. I hope to continue exploring the relationship between community engagement and health during my graduate studies at San Diego State University. I am highly interested in health disparities among people of color, specifically the Asian and Asian-American community. I want to examine intergenerational health issues Asian and Asian-Americans. It is my hope to be able to become a partner in creating culturally sensitive/aware programs for people of color in addition to practicing health as a physician in general and family medicine.