About me

Hi! My name is Kate Henry, and I am a Senior at Clemson University, where I am currently studying Language and International Health with a concentration in Spanish. I began my journey at Clemson University as a Biological Sciences student who wanted to attend medical school to become a doctor. I had a slight change of heart after taking an Intro to Public Health course following my freshman year, which exposed me to several different aspects of healthcare that I was unaware of. I learned of health professions that could not only make an immediate impact by treating one person but also focusing on helping an entire population. This struck me differently as I always knew I had a passion for helping people, but I wasn’t always confident medical school was the way to go for me. I then decided to change my major to Clemson’s unique Language and International Health (L&IH) program, which allowed me to study abroad, explore another language, and continue on the health path in a broader sense. With this new program, I plan to continue to graduate school for a Master of Public Health to gain more specialized knowledge that I can hopefully apply in the field.

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Although I have spent the majority of my life in Maryland, I have also had the opportunity to travel and live abroad as a result of my dad's profession. The early exposure to travel in both England and Asia has caused me to develop a strong passion for exploring the world and the other cultures, experiences, and people it offers. Because of this fondness for travel, I aspire to have a profession that allows me to continue to explore other locations and use my medical knowledge to help communities. This is one reason I plan to spend time in the Peace Corps, and it is to gain invaluable international experience and opportunities.

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I was first exposed to the field of public health when I did a three-week summer program in the Dominican Republic, where I had the amazing opportunity to work with a small local community that didn't have access to basic hygiene products, a proper bathroom, or strong housing. My program was part of a group that came to help distribute products such as toothbrushes, prenatal vitamins, and bandages. We also used basic construction and health guidelines to build a working latrine and stable houses. This experience opened my eyes to the communities that didn't have the basic things that I tended to take for granted and made me want to pursue a field that could help fix this issue.

I have a lot of experience with various leadership positions during my time at Clemson. On campus, I joined the Language and International Health (L&IH) Society and served as their secretary and, most recently, their president. During this time, I helped organize events such as symposiums about the impact COVID-19 had on Latinx communities, a language discrimination speaker, and several other eye-opening events for club members and me. Furthermore, as part of my study abroad requirement at Clemson, I had the privilege of living in Seville, Spain, for a semester where I took classes, traveled and participated in an amazing internship. Throughout this experience, I had several eye-opening learning moments that helped me grow as an individual and expand my cultural competency. Over the summer, I had the opportunity to participate in an 8-week internship with a local non-profit organization called Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of Maryland. I engaged with the families staying at the facility, organized photos and event supplies, created graphics for marketing initiatives, and secured raffle prizes for those events. Together, these opportunities, and so many more, have allowed me to develop communication skills, problem-solving skills, cultural competence, and a great attention to detail. I look forward to exploring more opportunities to engage with the health and Clemson communities.