Technical Assistance and Research Fellow Reflects on Her Summer 2023 Internship Experience

As schools and colleges head back into another year, The National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) will send off their Technical Assistance and Research Center (TARC) summer Intern. Over the past nine weeks, Amiya Fellows has assisted in research projects, attended external and internal webinars, worked collaboratively with NCUIH staff, and supported organizational projects within NCUIH’s systems. Amiya is entering her second year of college, pursuing her bachelor’s in healthcare administration at Tennessee State University. She is a member of the Honors College, Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society, and participates in various volunteer work with different organizations. 

Amiya reflected on her time at NCUIH, “After my first year at TSU, I received a call from my advisor that I was offered this internship. I was so excited to hear this unexpected news and to be able to work within my field. My time here at NCUIH has been nothing short of amazing and I have enjoyed every day here. Before this internship, I knew the bare minimum about Indian country, and learning about this population feels like I’ve entered an entirely new world from mine, which makes me wonder what other worlds I am missing out on. It also created a challenge because not only am I learning different ways to help this population, and experiencing public health hands-on, but I’m also learning about this population in general. This was eye-opening yet enjoyable. Finding NCUIH has reassured me that public health is the path for me. I am so blessed to be able to take the experiences and lessons I learned here and expand upon them in the future. 

During my time here as a TARC intern, I was able to support various public health projects at NCUIH on topics such as AIDS/HIV among urban American Indians/Alaska Natives, Infection Prevention Control, Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, Maternal Mortality Review Committee, and Emergency Preparedness as a member of their workgroups. I completed the adult Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) certification course, created 18 newsletters, created eight one-pagers for archiving on the Knowledge Resource Center, and identified and organized resources on the NCUIH Technical Assistance Portal site. I have also helped with various organizational tasks within NCUIH. The newsletters and social media posts have helped my writing skills by learning how to get to the point while also attracting an audience since most of my writing thus far has been for professors to read. I have learned how to read the key points in peer-reviewed educational articles, so I can read through them quicker but still get the information I need. Learning these skills will help me when I return to college in August, and I will use these skills as I continue my education. I had a wonderful time learning about Indian Country and working alongside the understanding and passionate community within NCUIH. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience!” 

NCUIH sends its best wishes to Amiya as she continues to pursue her educational and professional goals!