Rubiahna L. Vaughn

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"It is my hope that I can be the kind of community health leader to educate communities about their rights as patients and as human beings."

  • Program: 2006 Graduate Scholarship Recipient
  • Resides: New York, NY
  • Hometown: Memphis, TN
  • Age: 29

Biography

After Rubiahna Vaughn encountered blatant racism working in Ecuador one summer, she vowed at that time that she would never return. Haunted by the experience, she resolved to try to understand what had happened. Rubiahna selected racism in Ecuador as her honors thesis topic and returned to do research. "What I discovered upon my second trip was the strength of the Afro-Ecuadorian communities. They were awe-inspiring, and the energy and momentum of their civil rights movement moving."

Rubiahna says returning to Ecuador was the first step on a path to community leadership. Her thesis earned her a nomination for Stanford's prestigious Firestone award. Another key development was a public health internship in Malaysia as a Henry Luce Scholar. Now, Rubiahna is looking forward to studying at Columbia because of the university's collaborations with community-based organizations, especially in Harlem.

She eventually plans to enroll in medical school and wants to be a community health leader. "I hope to work as a clinician, create effective community-based healthcare programs and effect positive change in U.S. health policy, in hopes of making quality healthcare available to all Americans."

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