top of page
Mariela Hernandez Honors Portfolio
University of Washington
Spring Quarter '24
My first Oral Cancer Awareness volunteer event
The Floss Boss Mobile team organized the Oral Cancer Awareness Event that took place in Red Square on April 1st. Oral cancer and preventative oral care is often overlooked, and many people do not know that cancer in the mouth is possible. It is important to spread awareness of the importance of preventative care and connecting with our community. Our volunteer dentists detected signs of possible oral cancer in a multiple patients which can show the following signs: red or white spots in the oral tissues, or abnormal lump growths in the neck or face.
We followed up with these patients and do our best to ensure they visit a specialist that would take proper imaging and lab testing. Ahead of the event, I helped organize the outreach of the event by dispersing the flyers about the event and organizing the a frames around popular sites on campus. All in all, the event was a highlight of my quarter and taught me about the risk factors and the importance of taking care of our oral health especially as young adults. Through the process of preparing the event and volunteering at the event, I practiced public service and made personal growth.
Learning to present and teach a class
In one of my honors social science classes, Honors 232, I learned about the interdisciplinarity between race and medicine in the United States. I partnered with four other classmates and we created a group project which I was very proud of. We taught class for an hour and created an engaging segment. It was an amazing opportunity to practice teaching and group work. It took incredible collaboration, and coordination, and research. We all did our part to prepare before the class presentation. The greatest takeaway from the course was the importance of changing the social structures that exist to oppress minority groups. Press on the link to the right to view my group project! The process of creating a lecture and successfully carrying it out for our classmates was one that reinstated my values interdisciplinarity and personal growth.
Completing my biology and physics sequences
One of my proudest achievements of spring quarter was completing my introductory biology and physics series! I worked hard the entire year and finally completing both series was very satisfying. I am grateful for the support from my family, friends, and mentors. I am that much closer to dental school! The biology introductory series helped me in so many ways, such as working with teams, building study groups, and understanding life and our molecular biology. Physics taught me the interesting concepts like electricity, frequencies, and forces.
I learned to persevere and pivot when tests did not go as expected. Over my biology and physics series I made personal growth in academics and knowledge. When I was moving out, it was an amazing to visit the PAA building with my parents and show them where I went for lecture and spent so much time learning.
Applying for that study away trip
Another highlight of my spring quarter, was receiving the notification that I had been admitted on the studying away program I applied for. I am super excited to have the opportunity to participate in an amazing life-changing experience and learning in states I have never traveled to. I would be the first in my family to be able to travel away to study. I remember when I received my acceptance email and the relief and excitement I felt. I also had to organize my financial information to be able to study away this summer.
This particular study away program was a partnership between Sankofa Impact and UW Honors. The purpose of the trip was to learn about racism, Black oppression, advocacy, and liberation. I understood that studying social structures and history was important for me in my journey to advocate for equity for minorities. Taking initiative to apply and research opportunities was a form of personal growth that I practiced this quarter.
bottom of page