Daphne Sajor (she/ella) was a Health Career Connection (HCC) intern with FACES for the Future Coalition during Summer 2018.
Born and raised in Oxnard, California, Daphne graduated from UC Berkeley in 2019 with a double major in Spanish and Social Welfare. As an HCC intern, she assisted with coordinating FACES’ Summer Medical Academy (FSMA) and mentoring high school students interested in pursuing health care careers. Being part of FACES not only blossomed her love for working directly with teens, but it was also the first time she learned about school-based health and pathway/pipeline programs. FACES helped her find her passion and interest in public health, specifically with health education, school-based health and youth advocacy.
Since FACES, Daphne has been continuing to work directly with adolescent populations as a bilingual health educator. After graduating from UC Berkeley, she started working as a Bilingual Youth Services Health Educator at Mission Neighborhood Health Center (MNHC) working directly with their Teen Clinic offering confidential and accessible reproductive and sexual health services for teens in the Mission District as well as facilitating ADELANTE!, a peer education program for high school students interested in becoming leaders in their communities. Currently, she’s working as a Bilingual Community Health Educator with Planned Parenthood California Central Coast (PPCCC) teaching inclusive sexual health education presentations to youth in schools, community-based organizations, juvenile justice facilities and foster care systems in her hometown of Oxnard.
This fall, she will be attending UCLA to start her Master of Public Health (MPH) program in Community Health Sciences. Daphne wants to continue working in school-based health and hopes to one day establish school-based health centers with bilingual peer education programs in Oxnard’s high schools.
Daphne’s advice to current youth in the FACES programs is to put yourself out there and don’t be afraid to ask for help! We need more health care leaders like you all. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and make connections. Find what you’re interested in and go for it! Start with FACES and really take advantage of the opportunities and resources that this program offers you.
Lastly, Daphne would like to give a heartfelt thank you to the entire FACES staff, especially Dr. Magaña, Angela Thai (former FACES Project Coordinator) and Veronica Sanchez-Madrigal for their endless mentorship and support!
Daphne writes: “I want to continue being a resource for FACES youth so please feel free to reach out. I would love to connect with folks!“