National Blog

"The age old debate of nature vs. nurture has always been one of interest to me. The basic dilemma that I have continued to deliberate is as follows: Am I shaped by my environment and how I was brought up, or am I a product of a multitude of hereditary factors? Although it is widely accepted that the nature of our beings is an intricate combination of the two, the realization that my “nurture” is often quite different than that of others was something that started to intrigue me."

"As a Community Health and Prevention Coordinator serving at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, much of my work revolves around supporting after-school programs on health and wellness initiatives. Specifically, I help implement a national program called Healthy Out-of-School Time (HOST for short) at after-school programs all throughout Allegheny County. The aim of HOST is to provide support to out-of-school time sites so that they can create healthier out-of-school time environments for their kids. Participation in the program is free, which is essential, as the after-school sites I work with are often extremely underfunded and under-resourced."