B.S. Language and International Health | Spanish Concentration
Clemson University, May 2025
Linguistic Artifacts
Análisis de las condiciones y el desempeño del Sistema de Salud Ecuatoriano: Una revisión de la literatura
For my Technical Spanish for Health Professionals class at Clemson, I wrote a literature review analyzing Ecuador’s healthcare system, focusing on its structure, reforms, and challenges in achieving equity and efficiency. This project required extensive research on Ecuador’s healthcare policies, economic dimensions, and evaluation of public health indicators. This paper deepened my understanding of health disparities in Latin America, particularly access to quality care.
This paper significantly improved my Spanish technical vocabulary and writing skills. One of the biggest challenges I faced was translating complex medical terms while maintaining clarity in Spanish. Additionally, I had to ensure that my writing remained formal and cohesive, avoiding direct translations that might alter the intended meaning. I further enhanced my abilities to research and evaluate primary and secondary sources of health evaluation surveys and data to reword for better understanding while maintaining a formal and academic tone.
This project reinforced my ability to analyze global health systems — an essential skill for my future in international health. With the rigor of this course and this literature review, I am more confident in using professional Spanish in academic and healthcare settings. These skills will be invaluable for patient interactions, research, and policy development in my future career.
Análisis de los Determinantes Sociales que influyen en la inseguridad alimentaria en las comunidades latinas en los Estados Unidos: Una revisión de la literatura desde una perspectiva socio ecológica
In the course Health in the Hispanic Community at Clemson, I wrote a literature review on the social determinants influencing food insecurity in the Latino population in the United States, using the socio-ecological model as an analytic framework. This research allowed me to explore how individual, interpersonal, intrapersonal, community, and policy factors affect access to adequate nutrition. I examined interventions like Comprando Rico y Sano, which provides nutrition education and assistance in enrolling in SNAP, and Healthy Corner Store Initiatives, which improve access to fresh foods in underserved communities.
This project strengthened my academic writing skills in Spanish, particularly in integrating technical vocabulary related to public health. I worked to combine information from several peer-reviewed sources to provide an in-depth analysis of the social determinants in a formal tone. One of the main challenges of this paper was analyzing complex policy issues, such as the impact of restrictive immigration policies on food assistance eligibility, and articulating them clearly in Spanish.
One key insight that changed my perspective on healthcare access was how immigration policies directly impact food security. I hadn’t fully realized how fears of public charge policies discourage eligible Latino families from seeking assistance. Legal status, misinformation, and systemic barriers push food insecurity beyond economic limitations, emphasizing the need for policy reforms and culturally competent outreach to ensure equitable access. This literature review enhanced my ability to apply public health concepts to real-world issues affecting Latino communities, and it reinforced the importance of culturally tailored interventions in addressing health disparities throughout the country.
Public Health Artifacts
The Instance and Effectiveness of Support for Young Parents
This literature review was written for Determinants of Health Behavior, a class that teaches about how personal, interpersonal, community, and policy factors can influence health behaviors. My paper is a literature review of the prevalence of support for young parents and an evaluation of how effective support factors are. This paper challenged me to explore the intersection of social support and public health, looking into how young parents navigate challenges related to mental health, socioeconomic barriers, and access to resources.
I learned about the effectiveness of counseling programs like GirlTalk, which uses phone-based counseling to provide counseling services to young mothers. I also investigated how policies like Title IX still have gaps in institutional support, and many young parents still face discrimination and judgment in schools and healthcare facilities.
Conducting this literature review challenged me—it was my first literature review of college and the first long paper I wrote. This class was also fundamental, introducing me to core public health concepts like social determinants. This experience strengthened my interest in public health and policy and inspired me to continue learning about behavioral health.
Reproductive Healthcare in Mexican Indigenous Communities
This artifact was presented in a Women’s Health class. It was about women's reproductive health in indigenous communities of Mexico. This presentation outlines the current state of reproductive health in Mexico, cultural perspectives on reproductive health in Indigenous communities, and strategies to improve reproductive health disparities in these communities.
I enjoyed researching this topic because it related to my semester abroad, where I interacted a lot with the reproductive health of Indigenous women in Ecuador. I was excited to expand my knowledge of this topic and have the opportunity to share this information with my peers. I am glad I was able to further my knowledge and research on this topic and I would love to continue working in this area in my future career.
Cultural Artifacts
Globalización y Atención de la Salud en América Latina - Globalization and Health Care in Latin America
I wrote this essay for my International Development during my semester abroad in La Fundación Cimas in Ecuador. This essay describes economic, geographic, and structural barriers to healthcare in Latin America. It discusses how each barrier can further cause disparities in health access in Latin American rural and indigenous communities. It also provides innovative solutions based on successful programs implemented in Latin American countries.
This essay deepened my understanding of the connections between culture, geography, and the health care system. I learned more about how essential it is to promote cultural traditions in care and how community participation is imperative to maintain a healthy population. I can use these understandings to practice cultural sensitivity in my future when I interact with culturally diverse patients
¿Fue Beneficioso el Narcisismo en el Modernismo Latinoamericano? - Was Narcisissm beneficial Latin American Modernism?
I wrote this article abroad in Ecuador for my Intensive Spanish class during our literature unit, focusing on using transitions in technical writing. This essay reflects themes of narcissism in Latin modernist literature, by authors such as José Martí. It discusses how narcissism typically has a negative connotation, but that this characteristic is a very common trait in independent societies. This trait was essential to fuel the political revolutions that won Ecuador’s independence from Spain.
This essay helped me gain a more complex view of national identity and cultural pride through modernist literature. I can use these ideas in the health field to better understand the importance of cultural pride and the need for cultural identity in patient care