Summer Practicum Profile: Kayanna Franklin
Kayanna Franklin, an MPH student, is completing her practicum at UMass Center for Community Health Equity Research, teaching students the many aspects of public health.
What company or organization are you completing your practicum with, and what are the responsibilities of your role?
I am completing my MPH practicum with the UMass Center for Community Health Equity Research (CCHER) in Springfield, MA.
One component of my practicum involved supporting Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) Photovoice projects at Van Sickle Academy and Springfield Public Day Middle School, using photography and facilitated discussion to empower students to identify and communicate aspects of their environments that influence their well-being. During the summer, I also worked with the CCHER Public Health Enrichment Young Scholars program, which introduces students to public health concepts and career pathways.
My responsibilities have included developing and facilitating youth-friendly public health lessons and activities, introducing students to topics such as the social determinants of health, supporting program evaluation and focus groups, assisting with youth multimedia projects and health education activities, collaborating with fellow MPH interns and program staff, and developing practicum work products that can help inform future programming.
Where did you learn about your practicum and what inspired you to apply for it?
I learned about this practicum through a faculty member who shared the opportunity with me toward the end of the Fall 2025 semester. I was inspired to apply for several reasons. First, I had previous experience working on Photovoice projects and really appreciated the approach as a tool for community-engaged public health research. I especially value how Photovoice centers participants’ own voices and experiences, allowing them to help identify and communicate the issues that are meaningful to them and their communities.
I was also drawn to the opportunity because it was based in a community relatively close to where I live. I wanted my practicum experience to give me the opportunity to become more familiar with public health work happening locally and to better understand the strengths, needs, and resources of communities in Western Massachusetts.
Lastly, the practicum aligned closely with my MPH concentration in Community Health Education and my interest in working directly with communities. I was excited by the opportunity to gain more hands-on experience with youth engagement, health education, and community-based programming while applying skills I had been developing throughout my MPH program.
How has your experience at UMass Amherst helped prepare you to thrive in this practicum?
My experience at UMass has helped prepare me for this practicum by giving me both a strong foundation in public health and opportunities to apply what I have learned beyond the classroom. Through my Community Health Education coursework, I have developed skills in areas such as health equity, social determinants of health, program planning, community engagement, and communicating public health information to different audiences.
These skills became especially valuable during my practicum when developing and facilitating public health activities for middle and high school students. I was able to take concepts I had learned throughout my program and think creatively about how to make them engaging, understandable, and relevant to younger audiences. My experience at UMass has also taught me the importance of approaching community-based work collaboratively—listening to the people you are working with, valuing their lived experiences, and being willing to adapt when something does not go exactly as planned.
Overall, this internship has given me the opportunity to bring many different pieces of my education together and apply them in a real community setting, which has helped me feel more confident in the skills I am developing as a future public health professional.
How did you first hear about Academic Works and the Summer 26 Unpaid Practicum Scholarship?
I first learned about the Office of Career Planning’s scholarship while browsing the AcademicWorks website for scholarship opportunities that I might be eligible for. Academic Works has been recommended throughout my time as a student at UMass by fellow students and staff.
In what ways have you found the scholarship helpful for you during your practicum and over summer?
The scholarship gave me greater financial flexibility throughout the summer and allowed me to dedicate more time and energy to my practicum without having to rely as heavily on additional work hours to compensate for the time I was spending in an unpaid position. My practicum included not only time on-site but also preparation and independent work outside of scheduled programming. I was able to prioritize gaining meaningful public health experience while continuing to meet my financial responsibilities.