Over the past year, I have had a fulfilling year of courses in my Master of Public Health program and feel very bittersweet about approaching graduation in May. In particular, I have enjoyed courses on theories of disease distribution, reproductive health and justice and qualitative research methods. All of these courses have completely changed my approach to my research, and I look forward to continuing to learn and grow in my final semester. In addition to courses, I have been incredibly lucky to be working with the PeRInatal Substance Use Research and Advocacy at Mass General (PRISM) research group which I have absolutely loved. I am passionate about pursuing a research career post-graduation aimed at increasing supports instead of surveillance for families impacted by substance use. Our research explores how residential treatment programs and clinics can increase family-tailored supports such as overnight nanny care or improving clinical tools to reduce reports to child protective services and build on familial strengths. I am so grateful to have a mentor and research team who inspire and motivate me to join this field. I am exploring paths to continue this after graduation potentially through a PhD program or through additional work experiences. Outside of school and work, I am grateful for a wonderful community and roommates in Somerville. I try to get up to the White Mountains and hike with friends as much as I can, and I love seeing the landscapes of all four seasons there. I want to thank MVYouth from the bottom of my heart for your support. My college experience gave me both sustaining friendships and academic foundations that have brought me to this work that I love!
Galya Walt - Tufts University
Since the last update, I am excited to have started a Master of Public Health program at Harvard School of Public Health following a restful summer off in between my previous job and school. I just finished up my first semester and loved it so far! My coursework this semester included studying the foundations of epidemiology, public policy and theory of disease distribution. I love spending my days reading, exploring different libraries and getting to know my classmates. In addition to classes, I have been working 10 hours/week at Massachusetts General Hospital supporting a research project providing overnight infant care for parents living in residential treatment programs for substance use disorders. I have already learned so much from both the principal investigator and research participants and am so grateful to have a place to apply my interest in substance use disorders outside of the classroom. After I graduate, I hope to use my degree to work in research around harm reduction for substance use disorders. Outside of school and work, I have been enjoying the community in Cambridge I have been lucky enough to live in for the past few years and going to the mountains as much as I can! I am so grateful for MVYouth for giving me the gift of debt-free undergraduate education which allowed me to pursue a graduate degree. Wishing everyone a healthy and meaningful year!
Galya Walt - Tufts University
Over the past year, I have been lucky to be working as a research assistant and now project coordinator for the HEALing Communities Study through Boston Medical Center. The study is an NIH-funded grant aiming to reduce opioid overdose deaths by 40% in four states: Kentucky, New York, Ohio and Massachusetts. In Massachusetts, we are working with 16 communities to implement opioid overdose prevention and medication services by working with local community coalitions. My day to day involves attending community coalition meetings, conducting interviews with local community stakeholders and analyzing qualitative data. Through this experience, I learned I want to work in harm reduction services with people who use drugs in the future. I just finished applying to dual Masters in Social Work and Masters in Public Health programs to pursue my goal of providing both clinical services and continuing to use research to advocate for safe injection sites in the U.S.
Outside of work, I have loved living in Boston with close access to both hiking in the mountains in New Hampshire and visiting my family on the island. I am very lucky to have a close community where I live in Boston, and have enjoyed getting to know the area as vaccines became more available over the spring and summer. I am so grateful for MVYouth’s generosity, and I feel so blessed to be a part of this wonderful and supportive island community.
Galya Walt - Tufts University
While this year has been nothing but unexpected, there have been many changes in my life that I am so grateful for. This past spring I finished up senior year and completed my thesis on involuntary commitment for people using substances in Massachusetts. I am so grateful for my time on Tufts campus, and I was able to commemorate my time there with friends and family over Zoom celebrations. Since graduation, I have been working at Boston Medical Center on a study that is using community engagement to reduce opioid overdose deaths in Massachusetts. I love my work, and I am learning so much about working with communities, qualitative research, interviewing and the widespread need for respectful substance use care. I am deeply grateful for fulfilling remote work during this time. Looking ahead, I am hoping to return to school after two years at Boston Medical Center to get a Masters in Social Work and a Masters in Public Health. I believe my interest in focusing on mental health care from a public health perspective will be fully engaged by these programs, and I am excited to see where that goes! In the meantime, I am learning and listening to mentors at my work who have taught me so much about public health and community engaged work in just the past six months. Thank you so much to MVYouth who gave me such a meaningful four years at Tufts. I am so grateful for your support. I can feel the skills and friendships Tufts gave me continuing to support me during this challenging year. I am filled with gratitude for that experience.
Galya Walt - Tufts University
This past semester has been a really great transition back to life at Tufts following a semester studying in Cape Town last spring. I started working on my senior honors thesis studying the perceptions and experiences of clinicians who petitioned for patients with substance use disorders to be committed to involuntary treatment as permitted by Massachusetts law. It has been a really valuable learning experience to go through the process of designing a study, getting approval and conducting interviews with participants. I will be continuing to work on this project in the spring and will present my findings a few weeks before graduation. I also spent my time interning in a research lab run by a Tufts professor, and I worked on a study interested in helping kidney-disease patients make informed decisions on whether or not to go on dialysis. I loved reading through the interview transcripts of both kidney-disease patients and nephrologists and seeing both of their perspectives on the trajectory of disease and when it is optimal to share challenging information such as prognosis. I was mostly working on data analysis for this project and I really enjoyed learning how qualitative research gets transformed from transcripts to specific findings. When I wasn’t studying I spent many weekends hiking in the White Mountains. I have been working on completing all 48 4,000 footers over the course of my time at Tufts and this semester I was able to get number 46! I am forever grateful to MVYouth for giving me a college experience that has allowed me to grow and challenged me in ways that gave me a clearer sense of who I am. It will be bittersweet to say goodbye to Tufts in May and I will cherish all of it for my last semester. Thank you MVYouth!
Galya Walt - Tufts University
This past semester has been one of the best yet. I started the year going to school early to lead a five day backpacking pre-orientation trip in the White Mountains for eight first-years. It was such an honor for me and my co-leader to be the first to welcome them to college and to watch them grow throughout their first semester. I ended up returning to the White Mountains frequently on weekends this semester as I am hoping to hike all 48 4,000 footers before I graduate. I feel really lucky that Tufts has a lodge in the Whites which makes that area much more accessible.
Academically I loved taking “Medical Anthropology” which further cemented my interest in studying medicine and disease from either a sociological or anthropological perspective. My professor became a mentor to me this semester and I spent many office hours chatting in her office. I feel so grateful for her support and guidance as I begin to contemplate what it is I want to do after Tufts. It is very exciting to have a space on campus to discuss books, questions and class topics on a subject I have found much joy in!
Outside of class much of my semester was preparing for my semester abroad in Cape Town, South Africa in the spring! I am beyond excited to be there and to have the opportunity to explore a new city, study South African history and to travel around the country. I will be studying at the University of Cape Town which I hope will help me meet African students and get a better sense of Cape Town’s culture and society. I am so grateful to MVYouth’s support both at Tufts and abroad. Thank you!
Galya Walt - Tufts University
Sophomore year has been full of a wonderful mix of coming back to a group of old friends and communities on campus while also incorporating new faces and activities into my life here. I have had a rigorous and rewarding semester of classes which have shaped my decision to double major in community health and psychology. I am very excited about my future course of studies and look forward to combining these two majors to study my interest in mental health in marginalized communities. Outside of academics I have taken full advantage of Tufts’ outdoors club and enjoyed hiking the beautiful New England fall in the White Mountains during many weekends. I am excited to return to the mountains next semester covered in snow! I also have loved continuing to play on the club ultimate frisbee team and volunteering in a cognitive neuroscience lab on campus. I am so grateful for this opportunity to learn with wonderful and inspiring professors and classmates who exposed me to new ideas and challenge me every day. Thank you MVYouth for your generosity and for making my college experience possible. I can’t wait to see what the next two years have in store!
Galya Walt - Tufts University
During my first semester, Tufts has proven itself to be the right school for me. Everyday my classes, friends and student groups at Tufts affirm my decision to become part of the Tufts community. Tufts thrives off the constant support students give to each other. I am strongly encouraged to try new things, which has caused me to join ultimate frisbee, take a class on Zen Buddhism and apply for lab positions as a freshman. Though I am in the library often, I truly enjoy almost all my readings and assignments. My professors this semester created engaging and challenging environments that I was excited to be a part of. After this semester, I am planning on majoring in biopsychology, and I am looking forward to exploring that field further. The process of finding a new community and interests has been very exciting, and I feel so grateful for the opportunity to be doing that at Tufts.
Galya Walt - Tufts University
This year I decided to take a gap year to study in Jerusalem before attending Tufts University. I am part of a program of 39 American and Israeli teenagers studying, volunteering and interning together. Each day here reaffirms my decision to take time to develop my interests before diving into college life. I have been studying Jewish philosophy and texts alongside a wide range of people who constantly force me to question my own ideas and truths. Twice a week I volunteer with Eritrean refugees at an after school program. We are building personal bonds with them and it feels good to be a steady force in their lives. I am so grateful to MVYouth for giving me the opportunity to spend time learning about myself, my culture and my interests so I will be more mature and ready to fully seize my college experience next fall when my scholarship officially begins.