Esther Gitimu
2026-2027
Nairobi, Kenya
Between Systems and Roots: A Public Health Journey to Nairobi
Esther Gitimu (2026-2027 Nairobi, Kenya) will partner with the Community Shakenisho Development Association to advance community health efforts through education, outreach, and needs assessment. This project will allow her to apply public health principles in a global context while supporting sustainable initiatives and building meaningful relationships within the community.
I am a senior at Belmont University studying Public Health with a minor in Biology, and over time I have come to see the world through a public health lens. I naturally think in systems, how policies, environments, culture, and access all interact to shape health outcomes. What draws me to public health is not just the science, but the complexity of it. I am deeply interested in understanding how different systems function, where they fall short, and how they can be improved to better serve communities.
This perspective is deeply connected to who I am. As the daughter of Kenyan immigrants, I have always lived between two worlds, carrying both the values and lived experiences of my Kenyan roots while being educated within the U.S. system. That dual perspective has shaped how I think about health, equity, and access.
It has made me more aware of the differences in how communities experience healthcare and the importance of culturally grounded, community-centered approaches. Being able to work in Nairobi allows me to bring these two parts of myself together in a meaningful way, not just learning about global public health from a distance, but engaging with it in a place that feels personal.
This project is important to me because it gives me the opportunity to step outside of the U.S. healthcare framework and learn from a different public health infrastructure. I am especially interested in observing how community-based organizations, like the Community Shakenisho Development Association, operate within their context to address local health needs. I want to understand how resource allocation, cultural practices, and trust shape health interventions, and how these approaches compare to what I have studied in the classroom.
More than anything, I see this experience as an opportunity to grow into a more thoughtful and adaptable public health professional. I want to learn not just what works, but why it works in different settings. By understanding global approaches to health and grounding that knowledge in both my academic training and my Kenyan identity, I hope to strengthen my ability to think critically, move between systems, and contribute to more equitable and effective health solutions in the future.
More about me....
Home Town: Youngstown, OH
Major(s): Public Health