Certificate in Community-Engaged Leadership
Chenab Khakh ’20
Major: Biology and Society (Public Health concentration)
Minor: Business
I’m passionate about … health care equity and the role of nutrition and health in youth development. I believe that setting a foundation for health early in children fosters positive growth. Additionally, addressing equity in healthcare is important because I believe health is a fundamental human right.
Engagement experience: My summer community engagements take me near home: New York City. I did Cornell’s Urban Semester program and critically reflected on New York City public hospitals while learning about cultural competence in healthcare. I spent this past summer teaching and researching nutrition across NYC public school camps with 8- to 12-year-olds. On campus, I have volunteered in a variety of settings such as the Ithaca Salvation Army, Relay for Life and the Food Recovery Network. I am also an undergraduate researcher in the Moghe Evolutionary Plant Biology lab and peer-mentor students with the Cornell Undergraduate Research Board. Additionally, I am assistant science editor for the Cornell Daily Sun and a facilitator for the Intergroup Dialogue Project.
As an Engaged Ambassador, I … am a peer mentor to students pursuing the Certificate of Community-Engaged Leadership. I love spending much of my time in the Hub with my fellow ambassadors, laughing, eating and dialoguing about our different engaged leadership journeys.
I got involved because … I wanted to connect deeply my passions for healthcare and service. After my summer of critical reflection and community engagement in NYC hospitals, I was excited to continue to develop my leadership style and discover take-action projects to address health equity and nutrition.
My friends would say I’m … very active on campus, am always smiling and constantly up for an adventure.
Best Cornell memory (so far!): CALS Day is my absolute favorite day at Cornell! Not only are there cute cows and horses on the Ag quad but also free ice cream from the dairy bar!
Fun fact: My name means Moon River, one of the five fertile rivers in Punjab, India.
Future plans: I want my passion for health care equity, positive youth development and nutrition to define the type of doctor I hope to be one day — one that is involved in patients’ communities and appreciates science and medicine as heavily as community engagement in achieving strong public health, particularly in urban settings.
In the News
NOVEMBER 7, 2018
Trustee and Council members hear student stories during TCAM 2018
– Alumni Affairs and Development website
Certificate in Community-Engaged Leadership
Build on your interests and apply your experiences (from courses to extracurricular activities) to this program to develop the skills you need to be a community-engaged leader.