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The experience of a CUIP internship provides an invaluable opportunity
to learn, grow and mature immensely as a leader and future professional.
Honing the skills of networking, collaborating, time management
and leadership on a university level, CUIP opens the doors for many
more opportunities for growth and improvement, thereby providing
an integral step in the journey of discovering and achieving what
one wishes for one’s future.
Throughout junior high to high school, Elliott’s social justice
work, centered on diversity outreach, shaped his initial leadership,
collaboration and public speaking skills. As every experience makes
future experiences and opportunities possible, diversity outreach
provided the skills and qualifications necessary for attaining a
Chancellor’s Undergraduate Internship Program (CUIP) position
as the Coordinator of the Student Health Advisory Committee (SHAC)
within the Student Health Outreach and Promotion (SHOP) office of
the Student Health Center.
Coordinating SHAC provided Elliott many responsibilities and opportunities
for positively affecting the health of the student body. Among such
responsibilities were participating in the Building Planning Committee
for the renovation of the Health Center, the Pandemic Planning Committee
for preparation for potential onset of an avian flu pandemic, and
the Undergraduate Student Health Insurance Committee Planning Committee
for the planning of next year’s undergraduate student health
insurance plan. Other responsibilities included staffing the health
center information desk to provide helpful information to student
patients, and conducting many health outreach endeavors sponsored
by SHOP. The achievements that arose from these responsibilities
were plentiful. Working on the aforementioned committees allowed
Elliott to gain student input in university plans that affected
the health of the student body, as well as networking opportunities
with university professionals. The information desk allowed for
personal, immediate help for students, which was very gratifying
and important for the smooth function of the health center during
busy hours. SHOP health outreach provided, by far, the most exciting,
enticing, and important opportunities for Elliott within his CUIP
SHOP experience. With the help of both SHAC members and fellow SHOP
CUIP interns, Elliott achieved much for the health of the student
body. SHAC handed out Quit-Kits for the Great American Smokeout
to help students quit smoking and to educate the student body on
the health risks of tobacco use. SHAC participated in the campus
women’s health fair, educating students about heart disease
affecting women. SHAC also screened a documentary on the HIV crisis
within the African American Community.
The majority of Elliott’s achievements occurred through collaboration
with other interns and professionals within SHOP. SHAC and several
SHOP interns and volunteers posted fliers, created signs and tabled
to provide important HIV/AIDS information around campus on World
AIDS Day. SHAC participated in many campus events throughout the
year, including Slugfest, the OPERS fair, college dances, Knock-And-Talk,
Kresge Pride Day, the Campus Health fair and Condom Casino Night.
The Casino Night allowed for dissemination of important Alcohol
and Other Drug and Safer Sex/Sexual Health information, as well
as many free condoms, educational pamphlets and other information
about important campus and community resources, such as the Rape
Prevention Center and Planned Parenthood.
Both the CUIP class and the CUIP experience within SHOP provided
Elliott with opportunities to learn and grow as a leader and organizer.
Networking and collaboration at the university level was somewhat
daunting at first; however, CUIP built the confidence and skills
necessary for Elliott to be extremely effective at networking and
collaborating with people from different departments on campus.
The CUIP class itself provided invaluable knowledge, familiarity
and understanding of the University and its professionals. Consequently,
interns are able to effectively navigate the University institution
as leaders. The experience of the class helped Elliott immensely
with the practical understanding of UCSC as an institution within
the actual duties of his internship. Class also allowed him to network
and collaborate with CUIP interns from many different areas of the
university. As a result, SHAC and the Wellness Center were able
to communicate effectively regarding several different events.
The experience of CUIP and SHOP has shaped Elliott’s future
indelibly and invaluably. He is now certain that he wants to become
a health professional, that this is how he wants to help others,
and that he will be able to successfully enter this field. He is
now a declared Health Sciences major and Latin America Latino Studies
minor. He is a new HIV Peer Test Counselor and Peer Health Educator
for next year, and he plans to travel to Mexico next summer through
the Education Abroad Program to complete his Health Sciences internship
requirement. Every experience leads to a new, more challenging and
exciting learning experience. SHOP and CUIP have provided Elliott
the experience necessary for him to continue on a very exciting
path to becoming a future health professional.
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