As a George Mason Master of Public Health student with a concentration in Public Health Practice, Avani Hariprashad knew she wanted her practicum to be more than a box to check—she wanted it to be a launching pad. This recent Spring 2025 College of Public Health graduate chose the Alexandria Health Department for her practicum, where she dove into the heart of community engagement and health education.
Her primary project: developing a health literacy training curriculum for community-based organizations (CBOs). Designed to be practical and accessible, the training curriculum equips CBOs with tools to weave health literacy into their everyday conversations with community members. Hariprashad didn’t stop there—she also created an outreach plan to recruit organizations for the program, ensuring the work would have real, lasting reach.
“The experience taught me the value of community partnerships,” Hariprashad says. “No matter their mission, these organizations are trusted sources of information. Elevating their role as public health partners is critical to improving outcomes.”
Another key takeaway? The power of collaboration. Hariprashad structured the training as a two-way street, encouraging organizations to share their own perspectives on health literacy. “The goal is mutual learning- each participant is able to learn from the unique and diverse perspectives of one another.”
And perhaps most importantly, she learned the significance of tailoring messages to your audience. “This training was designed specifically for organizations, with their day-to-day interactions and cultural contexts in mind.”
The student-led nature of her practicum gave her a unique chance to build and showcase her leadership skills. She set the stage for success—establishing goals, managing timelines, and leading regular check-ins with her supervisor, Martine Hippolyte, MPH. “It was the ideal environment to gain new skills and refine existing ones,” she says.
Hariprashad encourages fellow students to be intentional when choosing their internships: “Use your practicum agreement as an opportunity to both challenge yourself and highlight your strengths.”
With her practicum behind her and graduation on the horizon, Hariprashad is poised to keep making an impact—one empowered community at a time.