STUDENTS

Since its inception, young professionals have supported the RESPIRAR Project as student assistants and interns, gaining hands-on experiences in the field. Students work with subject-matter experts, obtain valuable job experience, and contribute to our research.

Photo credited to Elise Ferrer

Learning in action: reflections from past students

Our research wouldn’t be possible without support from interns and students. We appreciate all the contributions made along the way to help advance health outcomes for farmworkers.

Tahriq Trenidad Bailey

Tahriq was a second-year master's student in public health when he joined the RESPIRAR team as a summer intern.

Tahriq worked in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Health.
He assisted with sample collection, statistical analysis, and data entry.
Tahriq gained a new appreciation and awareness of the mental stress farmworkers experience and believes that these impacts should be explored further.

Saratu Kehinde

Saratu was a public health science and pre-med undergraduate student at the University of Maryland when she joined the team as a summer intern.

Saratu helped collect samples from farmworkers in Maryland, conduct house assessments, and recruit new participants for the study.
She also helped process nasal swab samples collected during her fieldwork at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Health’s PHAB lab.
Saratu learned more about the working conditions of farmworkers.
She saw firsthand how essential workers in Maryland can be exposed to poor working conditions and a lack of legal protections.

Taeilorae Levell-Young

Taeilorae joined RESPIRAR as a summer intern pursuing her master’s in public health at the Maryland Institute of Applied Environmental Health at the University of Maryland. She is also a proud Howard University Alum.

Taeilorae helped recruit study participants, administer survey questionnaires, collect nasal swab samples, and conduct housing assessments.
Taeilorae was impressed with the dedication she witnessed while working with farmworkers — many of whom work on their families' behalf.
She learned that many farmworkers return to the Eastern Shore to work at farms and nurseries; some have worked here for decades.

Rebecca Patterson, MPH

Becky joined us as a Ph.D. student at the Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health in the University of Maryland’s School of Public Health.

During her summer internship, Becky worked with our exposure assessment team.
As a military veteran, Becky was interested in researching the history of the military’s involvement with Maryland farm labor camps and valued her time learning more about Maryland’s farming community.