By: Jasalyn Lucas, Communication Specialist
Itta Bena, Miss.- Two Mississippi Valley State University scholars earned an opportunity to participate in the Delta Scholar Program in Public Health (DIPH) hosted by Mississippi State in collaboration with Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
The Delta Scholars Program is a two-part academic and community engagement program for talented and socially conscious college students interested in moving the Mississippi and the Delta region towards a brighter tomorrow.
Oluwapelumi Shodubi, a junior Biology/Biological Sciences major from Lagos, Nigeria, and Keyjuan Meeks, a junior double major in Pre-law/Legal Studies & Government and Politics from Indianola, MS., conducted their research in the Mississippi Delta.
Students were selected based on an individual's drive to inspire change to social injustices in the Mississippi.
Shodubi and Meeks shared their insights on their experience on attending a twelve-day Summer Institute at Mississippi State University and conducting yearlong research.
"I had the opportunity to have mentorship, community-engaged learning, and leadership development to impact my community and the Mississippi Delta region," Shodubi said.
"I also had the chance to learn basic public health concepts and begin epidemiology research skills," she added.
Shodubi gained interest in reforming the public health sector through research. Her Delta Scholars project is focused on understanding students' experiences at Mississippi Valley State University in common mental health disorders.
"I chose my research topic after studying how the implication of the Covid 19 pandemic has led to declining mental health among college students," said Shodubi.
"These negative impacts have increased anxiety and tension due to fear and stress over the coronavirus pandemic. However, even as the epidemic progresses, required public health interventions expose many people to circumstances associated with mental health issues," she explained.
Shodubi expressed gratitude to be selected as part of the participants for this opportunity.
"I am also honored to be given a chance to contribute my research skills to identify public health issues and strengthen my ability to develop results that will lead to the reform of the public health sector in Mississippi," said Shodubi.
Meeks said that attending this Institute has been a tremendous, eye-opening experience.
"I learned that possibilities are endless and that many people are facing many other social issues and that collaborating with these people can increase the fight against multiple social issues," said Meeks.
Meeks was interested in this program because of the foundation of identifying social injustice and how it ties into his major.
His project focused on food insecurity with the interest of Fannie Lou Hamer.
Meeks expressed being grateful for this opportunity and how being selected for this program was very reassuring for his abilities.
"I honestly didn't think that I would be selected because I felt like there were more qualified applicants. However, my
selections demonstrated that I am just as qualified as anyone else," said Meeks.
During Shodubi and Meeks' time at the Institute, the two made many connections with other like-minded students from different colleges, non-profit organizations, community members who aimed to impact the Mississippi Delta Region.
"The mentorship I have gained has given me an essential resource to help make a significant change and upsurge mindfulness and attentiveness to issues in the Delta region," said Shodubi.
Meeks and Shodubi hope to inspire other students at MVSU with their research and apply for the Delta Scholars program in the future.
"I hope that my research brings awareness of the food insecurity to students at MVSU and how it can affect our community," said Meeks.
Shodubi added, "My ultimate goal is to share this knowledge with other MVSU students and inspire them to discover long-lasting solutions to these issues."
The DIPH is designed to provide a well-structured, high-quality combined research training and service-learning experience for undergraduate and graduate students from the Mississippi Delta region.
To learn more about the Delta Scholars program and apply, Click Here.