My name is N’dea and I am a 4th year doctoral candidate in Public Health from Fresno, California. I am also a program assistant at Wolverine Wellness and the Ginsberg Center. In non-pandemic times, I love traveling, attending musicals, watching tennis, and trying new foods!

Tell us about how you got involved in the “Talking Hearts” project. How has the project evolved in your opinion?

I have always held a deep love for the performing arts. I played violin and cello growing up, attended a performing arts high school, and sang in choir from ages 10-23. As a public health student, I have also been directly engaged in studying the effect the pandemic has had over the past 18 months. I was excited to combine my two passions through the Talking Hearts project and my role at Wolverine Wellness.

What do “Heart Maps” mean to you?

To me, heart maps are an incredible way to share your personal experience with someone who may have a completely different background from you.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself!

I completed my master’s degree in Ireland and met then Vice President Joe Biden while walking down the street my very first week in Dublin.

What would be your ideal way to spend a rainy day?

Ordering takeout and watching a rom com.

What does ‘community’ mean to you? How has this changed?

The people who lift you up and give you strength. Community is not limited by distance.

What does ‘art’ mean to you?

Any form of human expression can be art.

Favorite color, song, book and movie?

Blue (navy, to be specific); Too hard to pick…but anything by Beyoncé!; Pride & Prejudice; Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

I would probably go to the Amalfi Coast and spend a month reading good books, lying on the beach, and eating my weight in pasta and gelato!

One thing you can’t live without?

Music; Beethoven, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift…I view music as the soundtrack to my life and honestly can’t imagine not having access to it.

What inspires you?

My faith

Who is/are your role model(s)? Why?

The women in my family; they have faced so many obstacles and yet are so strong. They remind me that I truly can do anything I put my mind to.

If you could swap lives with someone for a day, who would it be?

Probably Anna Wintour. My career has absolutely nothing to do with fashion, but I think it would be interesting to get to work with such a wide variety of people and talents.

What are your long term goals?

I want to dedicate my life to public service through health policy. I’d also really like to live a full life with no regrets.

Featured Image Credit: U-M News