Meet the Intern: Cynthia Pham

The COVID-19 Community Health Project (CCHP) 3.0 is focused on statewide outreach efforts to reach those who experience the greatest social and health inequities on the importance of getting vaccinated and practicing harm reduction to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Sacramento Steps Forward has contributed by serving as trusted messengers to support state emergency response efforts by providing in-language outreach and culturally relevant education with the goal of prioritizing the public health and safety of Californians.

We met with Cynthia Pham, our Research & Education Intern, to learn about her background, what drew her to this work, and what she looks forward to doing in this role.

What will you be doing at SSF?

I will ensure that evidenced-based data and practices are integrated into community outreach and education efforts. I will also be supporting the facilitation of community events and trainings.

What motivated you to join SSF?

I was interested in community education and health prevention and wanted to work more with underrepresented groups. With the COVID pandemic still active, I thought SSF was the perfect role for me to grow professionally and learn from.

What do you wish people knew about homelessness?

I Wish people knew that these people are human beings that all come from different backgrounds. Everyone deserves to get the same resources to be able to live a healthy lifestyle.

What are you excited to do next in your new role?

I’m excited to learn more about the homeless community and how I can actively make a change.

Cynthia is a third-year undergraduate student at UC Davis pursuing a degree in Global Disease Biology with an emphasis on Public Health. She has a very strong passion for health prevention and education and enjoys helping the community and making a difference in people’s lives, whether that be big or small. Through this internship, she hopes to strengthen her community outreach skills, learn more about homelessness in the Sacramento area, and how she can help.

We look forward to seeing what practical skills Cynthia will and has developed, and where she will take her learnings next.

Visit the CCHP page to see what she and her fellow interns have created for the Sacramento community.