Saying Goodbye to Grenada
Helen Xu
2nd Year Dual Degree, MHSA in HMP/MPH HBHE
Now that we’re back in the cold of Michigan, I’m missing our time in warm and sunny
Grenada.
This past week was full of personal and professional growth as I explored new terrains
and
roles.
Our final days were spent collating our information for a culminating presentation
to show
findings to our Grenada Red Cross partners (GRCS). We were fortunate to have an abundance
of information collected from all our interviews with community, partners, the board
of
directors, and volunteers. We conducted thematic analyses for each of these stakeholder
groups to identify patterns that will inform our model of engagement. We hope our
strategies
can help GRCS with future planning and growth in Grenadian communities.
I am very proud of my team for all the work we were able to achieve in such a short
time and
am so fortunate to have such wonderful team members. We learned to be flexible and
adapted
to changing circumstances with coordination and support. Our public health backgrounds
are
all different and getting to work on an interdisciplinary team was a very valuable
experience.
Having different insights from each member created a holistic approach in creating
our
interview guides, communicating with community, and shaping our recommendations for
next
steps.
I am so grateful for the experience – meeting so many lovely Grenadians, learning
about the
culture and history, and seeing so much of the beautiful island. Hoping to return
soon!