From Classroom to Community
Nour Selmane
1st Year MPH Health Behavior, Health Equity Student
Heading to San Antonio, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. I had a mix of excitement and curiosity about what a public health field experience would look like in practice. I thought it would mainly involve surveys and structured community work, but the experience quickly became much more hands-on through fieldwork, conversations, and being in the city. The project focused on healthy aging and independence for older adults in San Antonio communities, where I worked with the Westside team on factors including transportation, healthcare access, neighborhood conditions, and social support systems.
During the trip, I helped develop and administer surveys, conducted windshield tours, supported data analysis, and participated in focus groups. Each part helped me understand the work in a different way: surveys gave structure, windshield tours showed context, and focus groups brought in real stories from the community.
One of the most meaningful parts was connecting what community members shared with what I saw in their neighborhoods. It made everything feel more real and showed how much things like sidewalks, transit, and access to care can affect independence. This experience made me even more excited to pursue public health because I saw firsthand how important community-based work is.
Exploring San Antonio outside of work added to my experience. Places like the River Walk, the Alamo, and local farmers’ markets were recommended by community members, making our visits feel more meaningful. I will always remember the late-night churros after long workdays as a highlight of my time in San Antonio.
Overall, this experience helped me better understand how place affects health and access to resources. It made me think more deeply about health inequities and how the environment shapes opportunity and access. I’m grateful to my teammates and the PHAST cohort for their support, as well as the South Central AHEC team, Ariel Gomez, Sophia Martinez, and Ludivina Hernandez, and the PHAST team, Dr. Sadé Richardson and Lauren Czarnowczan, for their guidance and support!
