Community Partner: STAR TRACK Intern: Poonam Gupta Site Supervisor: Gabrielle Mnkande
What is STAR TRACK? The STAR TRACK Program ' s mission is to provide leadership in Maryland on adolescent HIV health issues by: Providing comprehensive, interdisciplinary, individualized, and confidential health care to HIV infected and at risk adolescents and young adults. We also provide youth‐friendly health education, prevention, and early identification services to HIV infected and at risk adolescents, young adults, and their communities.
Tasks:
• Manned desk and assisted in patient intake for HIV and STD testing in the free clinic and various outreach events
• Planned and co‐led STAR TRACK PrEP campaign with regards to social media, filming, and volunteers
• Assisted in the planning of the Youth Pride 2016, which included testing presence, activity tables, Youth Stage, and contacting other organizations
I distinctly remember my first day, as my supervisor was sho condom room, the various offices, the free clinic, and a sup dildos and ass models, ending finally with a cheery“ Welcom What followed was one of the most enlightening, challengin experiences I’ ve ever had at Hopkins. In the beginning, my m to become as knowledgeable as I possibly could on all thing of time asking about lingo, looking up terminology, and tryi definitions. What I didn’ t realize, however, was how much I having conversations and forming relationships with comm wasn’ t important to label people with memorized definition instead to appreciate everyone’ s unique backgrounds and u the shared goal of community acceptance. As I accompanie coalition meetings, planned and prepared for our week long manned the desk at our free clinic, I had the opportunity to wonderful people with, unfortunately, had several barriers from clinician and societal ignorance. As someone who doe LGBTQ, being in this environment has not only increased m area but my overall competence in the social justice issues and urban environments. Youth and homelessness, racial ju class, and access to health care are just some of the many in all affect those in the LGBTQ community. But what I learned that these issues cannot be tackled alone, and those at STA acknowledge this. With especially trying times in our countr my coworkers had the community and each other to lean o I’ ll cherish well past the bounds of my time here. ‐ Poonam