Heidi is entering her second year of the 2-year program and is a native of Daly City. She graduated in 2007 from UC San Diego with a B.A. in Ethnic Studies & B.S. in Biology. After graduating, she did an Americorps year of service through the San Francisco Health Corps Program at the Women's Community Clinic. There she served as an Assistant Clinic Manager, Volunteer Supervisor & Trainer, Pregnancy Test Counselor, HIV Test Counselor, Street Outreach Worker, & Health Educator. She brings her background in community organizing with communities of color. After studying abroad in the Philippines in 2004, she worked extensively with the Filipino community in San Diego, organizing workshops, fundraisers, and events that promoted the awareness of social issues such as sexual & domestic violence, sex-trafficking, and women of color issues. She previously worked as a Diversity Peer Educator at the UCSD Cross-Cultural Center and a tutor & workshop leader at the UCSD student learning center OASIS which helps with the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minorities and first-generation college students.  Her interest in Public Health began while volunteering for Mama's Kitchen, a San Diego organization that delivers meals to people with AIDS. Interested in women's health and immigrant & minority health, Heidi is passionate about exploring the barriers that minority communities face in accessing culturally-competent healthcare due to systemic discrimination (based on ethnicity, culture, language, gender, sexuality, religion, and class) and wants to explore the effects of politics, economics, religion, & culture on access to women's health care internationally. In her free time, Heidi loves to curl up with a book, watch a flick, jam on the keys, or hang out with her niece Eden, nephew Jordan, & pug Chowtz.