In his senior year of college, Kenny Escobar took a class on healthcare disparities that changed his trajectory. He wanted to make a difference in communities. “I’m glad I found out that public health was my path,” says Escobar. “The M.P.H. Program at Cornell was a great choice for me.”
Escobar is now a project coordinator in the Bronx with the Archdiocese of New York Drug Abuse Prevention Program (ADAPP), where one of his main roles is leading an urban coalition that “strives toward prevention efforts against drug, alcohol and tobacco use, primarily in youth.” He works with stakeholders ranging from the New York Police Department and the Bronx District Attorney to public schools, civilian community boards, local food pantries, and parent groups.
Each day on the job is different. One day he might write a grant to connect with more disadvantaged schools, and the next, develop focus group questions to gauge students’ attitudes and perspectives. Escobar is putting the skills he learned with the M.P.H. program into practice in a way that matters. In the Public Health Communications course, he learned about strategies for reaching different audiences—“it was one of my favorite classes,” says Escobar, who now works with “student advisors” to encourage them to start conversations about drugs and alcohol with their parents who “might not be as willing to hear it from others.”
“When ADAPP hired me, they thought someone with a public health background could bring a new vibe and a perspective really focused on health equity,” says Escobar, “and that’s exactly what’s happening.”
–Written by Audrey Baker