Anderson named Education Diversity Intern
November 26, 2019
Rakiah Anderson
Rakiah Anderson, a second-year Master of Public Health student at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, has been awarded the American Evaluation Association’s Graduate Education Diversity Internship (GEDI).
The GEDI program engages and supports students from groups traditionally underrepresented in the field of evaluation. Program goals include expanding the pool of graduate students of color who conduct evaluation research; stimulating evaluation thinking concerning underrepresented communities; and deepening the evaluation profession’s capacity to work in racially, ethnically and culturally diverse settings.
As a GEDI intern, Anderson works two days a week with the Education Policy Initiative at Carolina (EPIC), where she is supporting the evaluation of a teacher preparation technical assistance model while building her skills and confidence in real-world evaluation practices.
As a student in the Gillings School’s Department of Health Behavior, Anderson studies tobacco use prevention and control. She also serves as co-chair for the 41st annual Minority Health Conference, the largest and longest running student-led health conference in the country.
“I am excited to advance my training in evaluation!” Anderson said. “At Gillings, I have learned the foundational skills and knowledge to understand effective approaches to systematically improve public health programs. Taking it a step further, the GEDI program enhances my capacity for culturally responsive evaluation, which aligns with my commitment to social justice and equity in public health practices.”
During her internship, Anderson will receive a stipend of $10,000 and take part in an intensive training program, which involves several multi-day seminars, monthly webinars, an evaluation project and attendance at a Summer Evaluation Institute.
Christine Tucker, PhD, assistant professor of maternal and child health at the Gillings School, is serving as Anderson’s faculty mentor during her internship. Aubrey Comperatore, PhD, a research associate with EPIC, is acting as preceptor.
“Rakiah’s initiative, strong research skills and engaged scholarship made her a competitive applicant — she is one of 12 GEDI chosen among more than 80 applicants nationwide,” Tucker said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to build our skills in culturally responsive evaluation practice together and to witness the positive contribution she is making at EPIC through her internship.”
On November 13, Anderson was recognized in the plenary session at the American Evaluation Association’s annual conference. Her internship will run through July 1, 2020.
Contact the Gillings School of Global Public Health communications team at sphcomm@unc.edu.
