Gabriela Gomez is a fifth year senior in the College of Public Health.

For most students, taking five years to earn a degree isn’t something to promote, but in her case it’s worth shouting about.

This summer Gomez will graduate with a bachelor of science degree in public health. This is in addition to the two bachelor of arts degrees that she earned in criminology and psychology last summer.

Recently, Gomez learned that she received the Pan American Fellowship and was accepted into the SUS/USF Summer Program. Both honors are awarded to “academically talented, domestic students who contribute to the diversity in USF graduate programs.” The fellowship provides $8,000 a year for up to two years of graduate study and a tuition waiver. Participants in the SUS/USF Summer Program attend six weekly workshops as a part of “The Graduate Experience” course and receive a $1,300 stipend for the summer semester.

In her letter of recommendation, Alison Oberne MA, MPH (HE,’09), CPH noted “Gaby is an enthusiastic and engaged student. She is eager to learn and sets her sights on success. Gaby’s passion for public health and concern for others will be a benefit to the field of public health.”

Oberne, an undergraduate instructor in the college, also shared “She (Gaby) sought out varied educational opportunities to expand her knowledge of public health. For example, she was selected for the highly competitive Leadership Experience with Academic Partners (LEAP Program) and worked with a mentor at the Hillsborough County Health Department.”

This August, Gomez begins her fourth degree program at USF. She returns to the college and will pursue a master of public health degree in socio-health sciences, with a focus in communicable diseases and maternal and child health.

“I hope to work with the underserved populations of the Tampa Bay Area and implement community socio-cultural health research into relevant cultural competent intervention programs to ultimately eliminate health inequalities.”

Story by Natalie D. Preston, College of Public Health.