Michelle Limpe is the Communications Intern for the Shot@Life campaign this spring. Learn more about her in this Q&A!
I always aim to incorporate service in some way in the opportunities I seek. Shot@Life is the perfect place for me to not only fulfill this personal mission, but also connect with others who share the same values, while making a direct impact towards alleviating issues in the global health space (my main area of interest since high school). Moreover, this role allows me to combine my two passions in writing and public health, and I am grateful for the opportunity to lend my talents towards achieving the campaign’s goals.
Though I was born in the United States, I grew up in Makati City, Philippines, which exposed me to the severe health disparities affecting low-income countries. These experiences prompted me to pursue Public Health Studies and Natural Sciences as my majors at Johns Hopkins University, where I graduated from last December.
Throughout the past semester, I served as a Research Assistant for the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine’s Project REPAIR study to investigate the healthcare needs of those impacted by long COVID. Last summer, I worked as an Information Systems & Technology intern at Apple, Inc. in California, which allowed me to develop my skills further in data analysis and project management. In 2021, I also had the privilege of interning at the Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation, a nonprofit in my home country of the Philippines, where I worked with my team to create a novel health program for those living in poverty. In this role, I developed a scorecard using health data and global metrics to monitor the progress of those involved in the pilot program, as well as designed educational materials and led discussion sessions with participants.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the issues of vaccine hesitancy and inequitable vaccine access have been exacerbated globally, which I witnessed in the Philippines while l was quarantining at home. I am very eager to have the opportunity to play a role in the Shot@Life campaign’s global movement working to address these issues. Throughout my internship, I look forward to meeting and collaborating with like-minded and empathetic advocates across the world who share the same mission, especially during the first in-person Shot@Life Summit after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Though I recently graduated, I will still be completing my internship from Hopkins, and I am excited to experience senior year traditions with my friends before our official commencement this May.
While the digital age has definitely increased globalization and innovations in recent years, the widespread availability of information has also brought challenges with misinformation and the lack of fact-checking. These same obstacles continue to pose a threat to vaccine advocacy by countering the efforts made by public health professionals and advocates to educate the public accurately on vaccines. Education is truly the driver necessary to keep the public informed on the latest vaccine information, which highlights the need for a more united effort to continue advocating for vaccines.
Another big passion of mine is journalism — I am the current Editor-in-Chief of The Johns Hopkins News-Letter and have held various roles within the newspaper throughout my four years at Hopkins. I work with my team to coordinate the various logistics of publishing a print and digital paper while researching and developing meaningful stories that not only impact Hopkins but engage the Baltimore community as well. I also co-founded a nonprofit in the Philippines during the height of COVID-19 to bring aid to communities living in poverty. Outside of work, I am part of a dance group and love to workout, hike, and travel!
