Public Health Dynamic Duo Heading to Johns Hopkins

Unless you are Destiny Smith and Sarah Kozosey. After studying and learning together at Duquesne University, the graduates are now heading to Johns Hopkins University to pursue their master’s degrees in the Bloomberg School of Public Health, where they hope to continue to advocate for health equity.

The friends, who will be roommates at Johns Hopkins, share a focus on improving the health of individuals in the most vulnerable populations.

“There are a lot of places that lack health education and resources. Once I started learning about health disparities, I understood how they were happening in my hometown,” said Smith, an Aliquippa native. “I want to use my lived experience to help others.”

While at Duquesne, Smith interned at the Pittsburgh Business Group on Health, where she conducted a study on maternity leave policies and provided recommendations on how employers could expand policies and improve employee leave programs.

A Bucks County, Pa. native, Kozosey said that creating an open forum where individuals feel comfortable discussing complex topics will go a long way when advocating for vulnerable populations. During her internship with The Children’s Home and Lemieux Family Center in Pittsburgh, she created information graphics to raise awareness of the educational aspect of cortical visual impairment.

“I’m interested in pushing my understanding of the social determinants of health,” she said. “Focusing on a population level rather than an individual level will allow systemic issues to be brought to life.”

Both students noted that Duquesne’s supportive environment played a key role in their success.

“I was unfamiliar with what being a public health major would look like before I came to Duquesne,” said Kozosey, who started as a nursing major. “The faculty made me feel welcome and seen. They helped me transition to my new major seamlessly.” 

“We have made lifetime friends here,” Smith added. “What interests me is connecting with people. I’ve made friends who have helped push me outside of my comfort zone and helped me to identify my skills. I became the social media manager for our group, which helped me to make further connections.”
 
After their time at Duquesne, the pair look forward to learning together at Johns Hopkins.

“We will potentially have some classes together, which will be fun and challenging,” Kozosey said. “We studied together and helped each other a lot during our journey here. We make a good team and will continue to support one another at Johns Hopkins University."