Graciela "Zonnie" Olivas
Graciela "Zonnie" Olivas
Sonoran UCEDD
The University of Arizona, AZ
Graciela “Zonnie” Olivas is a junior at the University of Arizona pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science in Public Health. She aspires to obtain a Master’s Degree in Public Health after completion of her Bachelor’s degree, and ultimately apply to medical school. Acquiring expertise in both public health and clinical medicine will allow her to view health on a wider scope of practice, and achieve improvements in overall community health. To achieve this end, Zonnie participates in the University’s American Indian and Indigenous Health Alliance and am a Southeast Arizona Health Education Center (SEAHEC) Future Health Leader’s intern. These opportunities allow her to serve Native American and Latino communities both on campus and within the Tucson community. As a participant in the UA College of Medicine’s Border Latino & American Indian Summer Exposure to Research (BLAISER) program, Zonnie worked with Sonoran University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disability (UCEDD) faculty in evaluating the UCEDD’s cultural and linguistic competency. Currently, she is continuing to work with UCEDD as an undergraduate Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD) Diversity trainee, furthering their work of assessing the UCEDD’s cultural and linguistic competency and expanding the UCEDD’s outreach regarding traumatic brain injury (TBI). The knowledge and experience she will gain from her time at the UCEDD will be significant in helping her reach her goal of addressing the health care needs of individuals from diverse backgrounds.