Learning about Chicago and the Public Health Field

Hi! My name is Cecilia Magos, but I prefer to go by Cecy. I was born in Chicago and grew up just outside the city. I recently graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) this past May, where I majored in Biological Sciences and minored in French and Francophone Studies. I love science and learning more about different cultures. In college I was also a member of the UIC Women's Soccer team (fun fact: I was one of the first five members that started the program in the school's history!). Soccer is still a huge part of my life (Hala Madrid!), but I am also very excited to start a new chapter as a Community Program Educator at Heartland Human Care Services.

I had previously spent some time volunteering at Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago, where I learned more about what service was and what it meant to me. Thanks to my time there, I decided to join the National Health Corps in an effort to continue serving others out in the community as well. I will mostly be serving the pregnant and parenting youth population in schools across the city, so I am most looking forward to teaching my first class and learning more about their experiences. Being able to give them the support and services they need is one of the best ways to help guide them during that new chapter in their lives and give future generations a chance to live healthier lives.

I am excited to learn what a'day in the life" as an NHC member is like and getting to meet all the new members too who share my similar interests. I hope to learn more about the different sectors in the public health field and how to be a more compassionate person through service. I think that my time in NHC will be a clarifying experience and help me decide the next step I want to take in my career.

This blog post was written by NHC Chicago 2017-18 member Cecy Magos.

Cecy is a Community Program Educator at Heartland Human Care Services.