Traci pursued a career in nursing partly because of her commitment to serving others. The nursing school at Penn emphasizes serving the surrounding Philadelphia community as well as those around the world. Traci sees the SNF Paideia Program’s pillars, especially service, wellness, and dialogue, as integrating well with her academic pursuits. As an SNF Paideia Fellow, Traci plans to gain a more thorough understanding of how service, wellness, and dialogue are interconnected with her role as a citizen within the communities she participates.
Traci recognizes the complex socioeconomic and political dynamics involved with equitable healthcare. As a Robeson Cooper Scholar she has participated in discussions about the social factors that impact health and society. The dialogic skills she will learn as an SNF Paideia Fellow will equip her to advocate for disenfranchised patients and articulate her perspectives more effectively.
I would like to take the knowledge from SNF Paideia and learn to engage in public discussion regarding health issues faced in the country. These include the racial disparities in women’s reproductive health care, the obesity crisis, and the opioid epidemic.
Not only to better serve her patients but also to integrate her civic identity more holistically.
In addition to being a Robeson Cooper Scholar, Traci is involved with several advocacy groups including Minorities in Nursing Organization and the student group Campus Curlz, a natural hair and service-based organization whose goals are to enhance, educate and uplift those on campus and in the community. Traci sees the SNF Paideia fellowship as an opportunity to be a more well-rounded citizen and health care professional.