Public Health Honored Student
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Jordan Marshall
Graduation Message
Well, we’ve made it. We’re graduating. There may not be a ceremony, but in lieu of that, I’d like to offer my sincerest congratulations to all of you! Whether you are the first person in your family to graduate from college or generations of your family members have been BYU graduates, I’m sorry that we won’t have a chance to officially end this chapter together. Making it to this point is a great accomplishment! It is an especially exciting time for all of us in the Public Health Department. An oft-repeated joke in the department is that nobody recognizes public health’s successes; people only recognize the necessity of our profession when we mess up. Right now is one of those rare times when everybody is thinking about public health. Despite the challenges we are currently facing, I find hope in the promises of church leaders that we will overcome this crisis. Good luck in all your future endeavors!
About Jordan Marshall
Jordan Marshall is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in public health with an emphasis in health promotion. The degree was appealing to Marshall because it combined all her academic interests. She says she “sort of stumbled across the degree,” but it has led her to people and experiences that she couldn’t have had in any other program. “I think this program is exactly what I needed," she says.
Marshall has had several opportunities to travel outside of Provo for her major. She and a group of students traveled to Europe last summer with professors Cougar Hall, Ben Crookston, and Josh West. These professors passionately highlighted Europe’s focus on bike-friendly roads and other convenient, policy-protected forms of active transportation. The study abroad group visited the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland; hiked the French Alps; and biked around the Netherlands, Austria, and Sweden.
In addition, Marshall interned at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation in Washington, DC. Throughout her internship, Marshall learned about issues like sex trafficking, pornography, prostitution, and objectification. She now thinks differently about these issues than she did before the internship. One of Marshall’s internship projects involved reviewing studies and compiling information for a research summary on the effects of pornography on the brain. After organizing the data, she put together a presentation of the research. Although her internship was cut short because of the policies surrounding COVID-19, she's been able to complete her work remotely.
Marshall is grateful for her parents and grandparents, who have always been supportive of her education. She would also like to thank the many great professors in the Department of Public Health who are sincerely invested in the success of their students. “They’ve demonstrated genuine concern for the students’ education and overall well-being,” she says. “And they’ve provided unforgettable opportunities for experiential learning.” Marshall believes her experiences in public health have provided the help and support she needs to succeed in the field.