Brittani Besterman

Student at Indiana University- Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
I graduated in December 2014 from IUPUI with a Bachelor's degree in Public Health, with a major in Community Health.  I am minoring in Health Psychology and Medical Sociology.  I have taken many public health courses, as well as many psychology and sociology courses, pertaining to my major and minors.  Throughout my time at IUPUI, I've learned so much about myself, especially what I would like to do as a career and how much I enjoy helping people.

 

Intern for the Minority Health Coalition of Marion County (MHCMC)

In January 2014, I was selected for the Operation Fit Kids Intern position for the Minority Health Coalition of Marion County.  The Operation Fit Kids Program is a 6-week program delivered to elementary school children once a week.  I was responsible for educating these children about healthy lifestyles.  Every week, I taught them a new lesson about fitness and a new lesson on diet.  Each week's lessons built upon each other, and everything was put together on the last day.  Through this experience, I learned a lot about working with children as well as health education.

 

 

Intern for the Great American Condom Campaign (GACC)
In January 2014, I was selected as a Safe Site Intern for the Great American Condom Campaign.  The Safe Site Intern is responsible for dispensing 500 Trojan condoms and safe sex information to students throughout campus.  I was free to deliver the condoms and information however I chose.  I partnered with the Student Wellness Coalition and Student Health to dispense the condoms throughout the semester at different campus-wide events.  Two of our biggest dispensing events were the Spring Break Health Fair and the Spring Health Fair.  By participating in this experience, I learned a lot about sex education, working with my peers, and how to become more comfortable in talking about some "sensitive" and "personal" topics. 

 

 

President of the Student Wellness Coalition (SWELL)
I've been a member of the Student Wellness Coalition since August 2012.  I was given the role of president of the organization beginning August 2014.  As president, I was responsible for organizing monthly meetings, recruiting new members, updating our Facebook page, creating and implementing new (and old) campus-wide events, and educating students about the many aspects of wellness.  Throughout this experience, I learned a lot about educating my peers, leading a group, and being organized.

 

 

A Little More About Me

Besides previously working as a student, intern, and organization president, I have many other hobbies I enjoy.  My biggest passion is baking.  I really love trying new recipes, and I love working with healthy ingredients to create healthy treats! I also enjoy going to concerts with my friends when our favorite artists come within a 200 mile radius.  When I'm not baking or going to concerts, I love playing with my puppies-- Mia, a mountain cur and German shepherd mix and Milo, a silky terrier and Chihuahua mix.  Those two keep me quite busy, but very happy and active.  My boyfriend, Brad, and I enjoy taking our puppies walking, hiking, and biking when we can.  While I'm not very athletically inclined, I do enjoy playing tennis when I can.  I'm thinking about trying yoga for the first time so I can become more centered, mindful, and fit.  I work hard to incorporate my passions of health, wellness, and nutrition with my other passions as well!

 

After graduation, I would like to find a career in women's health or sex education.  I enjoy working with women and helping them achieve optimal health.  I would also like working in sex education because this is a field that is quite underserved, yet so important.