Meet Our Grad Student: Cassandra

Hi! I’m Cassandra Whitley and am thankful to be a graduate intern with International HELP.

As a child, I loved learning about health and science and thought of being an astronaut or doctor one day. I also developed a passion for global affairs when learning about different cultures through mission studies at a young age, but it wasn’t until high school that I began to travel abroad and experience other cultures firsthand.

In college, I realized my desire to study social and cultural demographics was something I wanted to pursue as a career. I started working in the field of mental and behavioral health and recognized how numerous disparities among societies could be prevented through information and empowerment.

A medical mission trip to remote villages of Romania in 2010 urged my aspiration to further a career in health promotion and education. After researching fields of study for graduate school, public health encompassed my vision of helping communities improve their health and in 2015 I started graduate school at Liberty University working towards my Masters of Public Health with a concentration in global health. Finding International HELP has been an amazing experience. Being part of a team that is determined and passionate that we can aid in supporting others to improve their lives for generations to come is remarkable. Researching cultural groups and helping to develop health education curriculum for our projects has made me aware that we can make a difference if we truly dedicate our passion to others’ progress. As domestic projects have begun and we are preparing for international projects in the coming year, I look forward, Lord willing, to the opportunities that are a blessing to be involved in!