Name: Tristen Jovellanos
Pronouns: he/him
Year: 4th
Major: Public Health Sciences with a minor in Health Informatics
Position: Class Manager
Biography: Hello! My name is Tristen and I am a 4th year Public Health Sciences major from Cerritos, CA! With a passion for health advocacy and advancing access to care, I aspire to open my own practice as a Family Nurse Practitioner that serves underserved communities. On campus, I am involved with the ASUCI Office of Student Services, Antleader Mentorship Program (AMP), Camp Kesem, and the UCI Disability Services Center as a Ring Road Rides Driver. I also volunteer as a COPE Health Scholar at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Irvine. In my free time, I enjoy thrifting, taking care of my plants, and going to music festivals/concerts.
What Diversity Means to Me: My definition of “diversity” has greatly developed as I entered college meeting friends with various backgrounds and cultures. To me, diversity means being able to embrace others’ differences no matter where they come from. This also comes with uplifting the voices of those that face cultural/racial disparities and understanding the challenges they face because of their background. As an aspiring healthcare provider, it is important for me to embrace diversity so I am able to meet the needs of various patient populations and to provide culturally competent, inclusive care.
What I Gained From the Class: Before taking this class, I had a minimal understanding of the health disparities that many unfortunately face. However, the lessons I’ve learned in DIM have broadened my perspective on healthcare far beyond I would’ve imagined. Not only have I learned more about how social structures within our society have disproportionately shaped healthcare, but I’ve also recognized that it is the responsibility of aspiring healthcare providers like myself to understand these inequalities and take action. Overall, DIM has instilled a passion within me to improve accessibility to care and inclusivity within the healthcare field.