Public Health Corps Member Puts her Passion and Degrees into Action

AmeriCorps is a great opportunity to use the skills you have while building new ones in an area that matters to you. Ruby, a recent grad living in Minneapolis, is doing just that as a member of Public Health Corps! With a passion for radio broadcasting and a degree in public health, she hosts her very own public health radio show! 

Ruby has always wanted to make a positive difference in her community. When deciding what path to take in college, she chose public health with the hope of reaching as many people as possible. 

“It's a population level social science with a proactive approach,” she explains. “It's also equity and justice focused which aligns with my values and how I thought I could make the biggest impact on people's lives.” 

While still in school, Ruby was involved at the college radio station where she hosted a weekly show and eventually ran the station as its general manager. Although worried she would no longer be able to continue broadcasting after graduation, serving with Public Health Corps at Pillsbury United Communities (PUC) provided the perfect opportunity to use her radio experience to help advance public health. 

“College radio is something that I am very passionate about. It was a great part of my college experience, so I was pleasantly surprised to encounter the opportunity to do community radio as part of my Public Health Corps service,” she says. “I was excited to try something new and combine those interests, and I'm very grateful that [the station and the PUC Community Health team] said yes.” 

Today, Ruby hosts a weekly public heath radio show called Health is a Human Right! Advancing Community Health with PUC and its Partners. Listeners can tune in every Wednesday morning from 9-10 a.m. on KRSM 98.9 FM, a local Minneapolis station. On the air, she spreads the word about the many community health resources PUC has to offer and interviews local community health workers from a variety of backgrounds.  

Each week, Ruby and her guests address public health challenges and discuss solutions that make a real difference in people’s lives. It has been a great opportunity for Ruby not only to continue with radio, but also for her to make connections and explore future careers. 

“I get to interview people with a lot of different jobs and learn about what they do,” she says. “An unforeseen benefit has been that I've gotten to learn about a lot of different career options.” 

In addition to hosting Health is a Human Right! Ruby also completes other projects at PUC to boost their capacity to serve community members. During her service, she has created a community health bulletin board, conducted a survey to assess the community’s health needs, and put together a harm reduction supply box. She also regularly helps out at a food shelf operated by PUC where people facing food insecurity can access free food. In all of these projects, she has used her Spanish education to ensure these resources are accessible to all. 

Among all her projects, Ruby’s favorite moments are those where she gets to interact with members of her community directly. In a big metropolitan area, making lasting connections can sometimes be a challenge. But by serving at a community organization like PUC, Ruby and other Public Health Corps members get to see their projects make an impact firsthand. 

“I like befriending and recognizing people the more often they come here,” she says. “I really get to connect with the other community members. I'm starting to learn some words in Somali, and I've been introduced to Oromo music and delicious food and all sorts of really cool multicultural things.” 

While she’s not completely certain where she wants to go next, Ruby’s service as a Public Health Project Coordinator has opened her eyes to a career path she never knew existed: a certified community health worker. Her AmeriCorps service will help her get there by offering experience, training, and up to $7,000 toward tuition, loans or cost of certification. 

Whatever her next step, we are thankful for Ruby’s service. If you are interested in exploring a future in public health, you can learn more about Public Health Corps on our website and stay in the loop about future opportunities near you.