Learning to Show Up Well
Minahil Haroon
1st Year MPH Health Behavior, Health Equity Student
There is this moment right before you go somewhere new
where everything feels louder in your head
excited, nervous, ready, unsure
all at the same time.
That is where I am right now.
Packing thoughts more than anything else
thinking about what it means to actually step into a community
not as an outsider looking in
but as someone showing up with intention.
I am excited for the realness of it
for learning that does not sit in slides or readings
for conversations that do not feel rehearsed
for seeing how public health actually lives in people’s everyday world.
I want to connect
not in a surface level way
but in a way that feels honest
like slowing down enough to really hear people
to understand what matters to them
what they are already building
what they already know.
There is something powerful about that kind of learning
it feels active
like you are constantly paying attention, adjusting, listening again.
And I know that is part of the responsibility too.
Showing up well matters
how I listen
how I speak
how I take up space in rooms that are not mine
how I make sure I am not just present, but actually useful.
I am thinking about all of that
but not in a heavy way
more like a reminder that this work is real
and I want to meet it that way.
I also keep thinking about who I am in this
how I move in unfamiliar spaces
how I handle not knowing everything
how I grow when I cannot rely on comfort or familiarity.
And I am honestly excited for that part too.
Because growth does not always feel structured
sometimes it feels like showing up, paying attention, and figuring it out as you go.
So right before we go
I am holding it all
the nerves, the energy, the curiosity
and I am stepping into it with open eyes and a lot of intention.
Ready to learn
ready to connect
ready to be fully in it.
