January 2024
Carmen Cummings joins the Converge Team.
Carmen is originally from Oakland, California, and was a student at Jackson State University when she joined the team as an intern last fall. Carmen excelled in her studies, receiving her Master of Public Health after the completion of her internship with us.
When asked why she chose the public health field she responded, “When starting out my career, I initially wanted to become a nurse because of a family member who suffered from many illnesses and became dependent on pain medication. I wanted to work in the medical field to be of assistance to patients who did not see or know of any other resources to holistically manage their health. I then chose to enter public health to continue to offer this same information but from a community/population standpoint, instead of focusing on the individual.” She went on to explain how everyone has a right to information in knowing what resources are available to them. It is equally important that the community has input on changes they’d like to see to have some autonomy in managing their health; public health seemed like the best route to take to do so.
Carmen was eager to learn about Converge while using her expertise from her studies to support the Measurement, Learning and Evaluation team. As Converge continued to expand, Carmen jumped in and supported new Converge programs. She updated the clinic locator as Converge expanded to Tennessee and created training materials and presentations.
As her internship ended, we asked her about her Converge experience. “It was a pleasure being able to assist with providing and presenting information on contraceptives, as well as, researching accessible family planning clinics for patients to visit for needed services. I learned more about reproductive justice and how important it is to include the patient in decision making for their health, the importance of community partnerships, and some of the ways nonprofits can contribute to making a difference.”
Carmen will be joining the Converge team as a full-time employee in February. She will be the Monitoring, Learning, and Evaluation Manager (MLE Manager) working with our MLE team to support Converge’s data collection and training programs.
Converge is lucky to have Carmen on our team!
We also would like to thank our Community Engagement Director, Jazamine Hoskins, for spearheading our partnership with Region IV-Public Health Training Center and working diligently to ensure our interns have a great experience with Converge. It’s truly a full circle moment; Jazamine, too, began her Converge journey as an intern and has continued to excel within this organization ever since.