Valionica Fayette is a second-year Master of Public Health student at New York University’s School of Global Public Health with a concentration in Management. She currently works in an outpatient rehabilitation center as an Administrative Support and Rehabilitation Aide. Read our Q&A with Valionica below!
Interviewed by Dr. Robyn Gershon.
Q: Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
A: My name is pronounced Val-i-o-Knee-Ka. Some people call me Val or V. I have a rule though. Before you can call me by a nickname you have to pronounce my full name for at least two months before I’ll respond to Val or V. This ensures that you know how to pronounce my name properly and hopefully, you say my name enough that you won’t even want to call me VAL!
My parents are from the Caribbean Island named Haiti or Ayiti. I am a second-year Master of Public Health student with a concentration in Management. I work in healthcare in an outpatient rehabilitation center serving as an Administrative Support and Rehabilitation Aide. Outside of work and school, I enjoy walking, hiking, yoga, and aerial hoop (lyra)/silks. I’m also a big fan of yummy foods.
Q: What sparked your interest in public health?
A: As an undergraduate, I landed a job working in an after-school program as a Teacher’s Assistant. I worked with kids for seven years before I noticed something about myself – I enjoyed educating children on healthy eating habits and providing them with healthy body image encouragement, more than I did teaching the usual math, English, reading and writing! I decided rather than pursue my Master’s in Education, to switch to what I really wanted to do: Work with kids but with a twist… HEALTHCARE!
Healthcare was perfect. I would still be teaching in a way and working with kids and now adults, but now I could focus on what I was more interested in – teaching people how to take care of themselves. I decided a career in public health policy and management would be the ideal way for me to best serve the public.
Q: Was there any particular project or experience that shifted how you think about public health or helped you make the decision to pursue a master’s degree in this particular field?
A: Working in my current job as an Administrative Support and Rehabilitation Aide, I shifted my thinking about my major. I saw how necessary it was to have someone that understand the company from all views – clinical and business. I saw how on the clinical side, how important it was to have someone advocate for you and your health and how everything we do on the administrative side also impacts the patient’s health. In pursuing my master’s, I knew I’d be exposed to the intricate details of how facilities need to run in order to make a positive impact on the patient’s health.
Q: Why are you interested in the field of emergency preparedness and response?
A: I am interested in emergency preparedness and response because healthcare is always changing. We must always be ready for anything that can happen. From working with kids, I learned how important it is to be flexible and how to have a plan A, B and C. That is one lesson I will always take with me wherever I go: ALWAYS be ready for the unexpected.
Q: What is a current emergency or disaster you believe is critical to address?
A: Mass shootings, floods, and climate change are disasters I think are critical and we should be ready for since they have been increasing in incidence.
Q: How do you handle stress and pressure? Do you have interests or hobbies outside of public health?
A: I handle stress and pressure by meditating and talking through my stressors. I also release tension and negative energy through yoga or my hobby of aerial hoops/silks. Releasing to my favorite song and just spinning on my favorite apparatus always seems to do the trick for me. Anything that gets me moving and releasing so I can focus on what I do have control over is what I gravitate towards. I enjoy exercise like walking and being outdoors.
Q: What is next for you after you complete your MPH degree?
I hope to land a rewarding career in management at the upper level of healthcare where I can try to make an impact. I hope to one day open an afterschool program that’s geared towards gymnastics, body positivity, minorities, and nutrition.