Yassir Colindres

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Philosophy Statement

Health education is one of the most fundamental aspects of education that has an

everlasting impact on life. Since students fail to have a foundation of health education in their

early education, children’s lives and health are at risk. Young children must be taught early-on

that healthy habits directly translate to overall well-being. According to the World Health

Organization (WHO), “Enabling young children to achieve their full developmental potential is a

human right and a critical requisite for sustainable development.”.

This quote from the WHO strengthens my belief in the role that children have in public health

and how that begins during their childhood education. My hopeful place in the public health field

will be serving the young population in my local community and aiming to improve health

education in the areas that need it most.

The passion that I have for public health and improving early-education has been rooted

in me from childhood. My mother always emphasized the importance of healthy eating habits

like staying away from sugars and eating fruits and vegetables; some of the basics. I never really

pushed back as a child, because truthfully, I really enjoyed eating fruits and even vegetables.

These habits have stuck with me over the years and have recently proven to be helpful as I began

working for the UF/IFAS Extension Family Nutrition Program (FNP). This new chapter in my

life opens the path to my career in health education and really excites me for my future in the

public health field. What I love about working for FNP is that I get a chance to really see a

difference in the communities we work in. Working with Nutrition Educator’s and Food

Specialists who dedicate their time to the communities who have limited resources and families

who just need that extra push to make healthy choices. My past four years have been spent

pursuing my Bachelor’s of Science in Health with a concentration in Public Health at the

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University of North Florida, which is an opportunity I am very grateful. These past years have

solidified my knowledge in public health and health education and has helped me progress to

where I am now. Although, I am excited to complete my bachelors and really kick-off my career

in public health I truly believe that education will result in more accurate knowledge in health

education. In my future, I see myself pursuing a master’s in public health to eventually work for

the federal government. My main goal is to truly make an impact on those lives that are

negatively affected by inequalities in health around the United States. I want to dedicate my

career to helping educate others and improving the healthy habits that should be instilled in

everyone’s life. Living a healthy lifestyle might be considered a choice but not having a

foundation in health education can make that choice difficult.