I AM FPHLP 2018: Daniel Triggs

Daniel was part of the 2018 FPHLP cohort. He is a graduating senior at Louisiana State University, majoring in Biological Sciences and minoring in Business Administration. This summer, Daniel interned at the Lenawee County Health Department in Adrian, Michigan. During his field placement, he interviewed many community stakeholders about their roles in the community and went on multiple food safety inspections. In addition, he gave a presentation to the Lenawee Board of Health about suicide prevention among the older male population in the county due to the increasing rate of cases.

His favorite experiences from FPHLP were the random adventures he went on with other FPHLPers. Although he enjoyed the experiences with the people he met, the biggest challenge this summer was working with a team to achieve a major goal. He knows he can complete tasks individually, but he had to adjust to working with others and being inclusive of everyone's ideas. Regardless, he says FPHLP does a great job at team building, and he will definitely use what he learned this summer in his professional career.

Since FPHLP, Daniel says he resumed his "regular" life, but believes he has the tools necessary to continue to grow as an individual. He feels FPHLP gave him guidance on defining his "WHY." He knows he wants to transform the healthcare system, especially for those in underserved populations. As of today, he is planning on going to graduate school with a focus on Health Systems Management and Policy, or Health Administration.

The advice Daniel would give to someone who is considering applying to FPHLP is "Everything Happens For A Reason (EHFAR)." One of his fellow FPHLPer used this saying a lot. By this, he means that if you are considering applying, just do it. He says that the worst thing that can happen is not getting accepted, but you will not have any regrets because you know you tried applying.