Summary:

As a high school intern at UCSD Medicine Center for Community Health during the
month of May, I had the pleasure to work with one of the CCH staff Lizzy Cooper. Lizzy Cooper
is the program manager for the Youth Advisory Council and is Coordinator for Lactation
Supportive Environments. Lizzy talked about her position and the journey she had to get where
she is. She enjoys working around youth a lot which sparks her passion. She also likes to travel
when she is not at work and takes at least two trips per year. Lizzy is motivated and passionate
about her work and enjoys everything it offers.

Brianna Melendrez (BM) : I will be asking a few questions about you and how it has been this
month so far.

Lizzy Cooper (LC) : Okay sounds great!

BM: Can you explain your roles at the center?

LC : Okay, so I have two positions here at the center. I am the program manager for the youth
advisory council where I have the pleasure of working with young people on doing health
initiatives in low income communities. Then I am also program coordinator for Lactation
Supportive Environments, where I work with breastfeeding funding San Diego program ,where
we try to make spaces more friendly for mothers and families to breastfeed.

BM: What steps did you take in order to get to your position
LC: Oh man… So i have been working in health and non profit since i was about 16 years old, a
long time, and I kinda had a weird path from that point. I moved to boston after high school. I
wasn’t going to go to college, instead I did americorp program out there. I soon figured out that I
needed to go to college. I came back to the bay and went to community college and transferred
to UCSD. After UCSD, I hopped around the country for a couple of years doing different
community health initiatives. I ended up at the center when I moved back to san diego for
graduate school. Then I started as an intern at the center here, maneuvered my way up, and
made it here now.

BM : So what inspired you to choose this career ?

LC : So personally I grew up in a home where health was not a given, where there was a lot of
addiction and so I think saw health disparities at a young age when I didn’t really have the
vocabulary for that. I've always been driven to really fight for that kind of health justice. As I grew
older and kinds recognized a lot of privileges and opportunities I’ve had and I wanted to you
know contribute to a world that was a little more just in most terms
BM : What is the best part of the day for you?
LC : Working with young people. I love working with young people because they are motivated,
passionate, and open. And I really think that type of energy is what really inspires me and keeps
me believing that we can continue to make solid games.

BM : So would that be a highlight of your whole career?

LC : Absolutely, I think the times i have done my best work have been when I was working with
youth. Whether they were elementary school kids which I have done most of my career, or
middle school kids which are fun but sassy, or my current position with highschool students.

BM : Has the work environment changed since I started as an Intern?

LC : I think that Brianna, You, have contribute a lot to our team. What I really appreciate about
you is your willingness to work on anything and your openness to have your ideas and horizons
broden with different perceptions of health. I think it is really incredible to have an intern to work
on different projects and handle that work load, so I think it is really great to have you as a CCH
family and a YAC and school of wellness member.

BM : What has been a memorable moment with me this month?

LC : I am going to go back to your presentation you did. I think asking anyone to describe food
insecurity in terms of social determinants of health is an incredibly complex task. Not only did
you identify and choose that challenge for yourself which I was really proud of. But you did
amazing job in distilling so much data, information, and narrative into something concise and
specific. I also loved the fact when you were designing interventions took both policy perception
and individual perspective on what contributes to health. You weren't just talking about you
know improving health knowledge,you were also talking about systems like Calfresh and
bettering access to that and then adding in california assembly bills. Which is something I
cannot begin underscore more how impressive that is at such a young age that you are able to
leave through those different determinants of health. I focus my grad school program who
would've had a difficult time with this and you slayed this at age 16.

BM : What word of advice would you give me in this field?

LC : I am going to say broaden. So i think public health is an amazing field and I would say
broaden those skill sets to make sure you are able to contribute what you want to it. So I would
say to continue to use all your different amazing skills, passions. and ideas and bring that into
public health rather than bring health into other skills. Public health has a need for energy and
innovations.
BM : What do you like to do out of work?
LC: I am a pretty avid traveler, I am going to thailand tomorrow by myself as a backpacking trip.
I am fortunate to take international trips at least two times per year for the past several years. I
feel really privileged to do but I am able to finesse and traveling solo as a woman is my highest
recommendation. You need a break and need to be able call the shots and be able to do what
you want to do. Don't tell your parents I told you to travel internationally alone but definitely do
trips by yourself. [laughing] Especially you, you are bilingual take on the world.

BM: Thank you so much for doing this interview today with your busy schedule.

LC: No problem girl!