Campus Connection

Bathroom construction project helps students understand public health issues away from home

In the village of Pattamadai, India, the people value education. But, every so often, young girls at the village school simply don't show up for class. "To understand someone's lifestyle and choices, it is important to be aware of their background and listen to their stories," explains Kristy Pearson, a student in UWL's Master of Public Health in Community Health Education program. Pearson, and Rachel LaValley, another UWL Master of Public Health student, were able to get an up-close look at this particular story during a two-week trip to Pattamadai over winter break. The two accompanied Sondra LeGrand, a UWL alumna and local Rotary Club member, on a trip to see the results of a Valley View Rotary Club project to build private boys and girls bathrooms at the school. [caption id="attachment_51993" align="alignnone" width="685"] The village of Pattamadai welcomed the visitors with a ceremony, which was held in their honor to commemorate two new sets of toilets sponsored by Rotary International and La Crosse clubs.[/caption] Pearson had met LeGrand at a local fundraiser where LeGrand shared information about the need for the bathrooms. Students at the village school used a hole in the ground — one for girls and one for boys — at separate locations in rice fields near the school. With no private bathroom, girls simply weren't attending school during times of their menstrual cycle. And the school didn't have sufficient financial resources to build private bathrooms. "I couldn’t imagine that," says Pearson. Both Pearson and LaValley raised their own funds so they could visit the school and learn about the project first-hand. When they arrived, the new bathrooms had just been constructed. Teachers and others explained how popular they had become. "It made me realize how much we take things for granted here — myself included," says Pearson. Pearson, who will graduate in May, said the experience for her and LaValley was a chance to learn more about global health issues and connect with people who live in very different circumstances. That will be important as they embark on careers in health education where understanding someone's background is critical to understanding their health choices, she says. "I was very proud of Kristy and Rachel as we experienced Indian culture together," says LeGrand. "They eagerly reached out to make new friends and adapted to various situations — planned and unplanned. They learned first-hand about public health challenges in India." [caption id="attachment_51995" align="alignnone" width="685"] Students from the school draw a kolam, a symmetrical design that women create on the front entrance of the home, or in this case the school.[/caption]

More hands-on experience

Pearson and LaValley's trip complements other hands-on experiences required as part of their program. Students in the Master of Health Program complete a preceptorship, offering them practical experience in the public health field. Pearson's preceptorship was serving as UWL's wellness health advocate from August 2017-February 2018.

About the program

Pearson was initially interested in continuing graduate studies in occupational therapy prior to finding UWL's Master of Public Health in Community Health Education program. The program prepares health and human service professionals to work in settings where community health education approaches are employed to improve health and well being. The program ended up being a better fit for her, she says, considering her undergraduate degree in psychology and curiosity about how people make the health choices they do. "This program encompasses everything I wanted to learn about what makes people healthy and unhealthy — and how people fit health into their lifestyle." Pearson says Gary Gilmore, professor and director of Graduate Community Health/Public Health Programs, and Michele Pettit, her capstone advisor, have been great mentors during her graduate school journey, sharing their broad public health knowledge and offering direction when she needed it.