To continue with our Periclean alumni series, I met up with Courtney Latta. She is a graduate of the class of 2009. After Courtney graduated she began her work in Leogane, Haiti. She was an intern for Kore Timoun and worked closely with others in the program to develop a comprehensive training program for nutrition workers. She spent two years in Haiti and was present in the country during the Earthquake of 2010. She helped in responding to the disaster by assisting with hiring of new staff and in scaling the Children’s Nutrition Program of Haiti. Also while in Haiti, Courtney researched and composed a training manual for a Positive Deviance/Hearth model program. She continuously educated other organizations in Haiti about the program and spread awareness about various public health topics.
Courtney now lives locally and continues to educate others about nutrition and other public health issues. She has also stayed very involved in the Periclean community by using her education and background to enhance the experiences of younger classes! While Courtney was getting her masters in Public Health at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, she worked on a thesis that involved Hogares Sanos, local partners of the class of 2013. For her master’s thesis, she developed an 8-week nutrition program for Hogares Sanos. Through this, Courtney formed relationships with the class of 2013, their mentor Brian Neinhaus and Brian’s wife Blanca. Courtney also traveled to Chiapas before the class of 2013 to scout, which she said was an amazing experience. She continues to act as a resource for other classes as well. Her experiences in Haiti, Mexico and Zambia provide her with knowledge that can be beneficial for various classes of Periclean!
Courtney continues her involvement with Periclean because she recognizes that Periclean is always a part of you and you are always a part of Periclean. She has really enjoyed meeting the students in the classes below her and learning about their class personality. She has recognized that each class has a unique perspective, and has enjoyed learning about each outlook. When asked about what advice she would give to current classes, she advised everyone to get to know the members of your class early on. Building connections with outside partners is difficult if there isn’t cohesiveness among the class members. She also advocates getting to know local partners and forming personal relationships with them, rather than strictly doing academic research on the population. Forming these personal relationships between class members and partners are key!
I definitely recommend each class to reach out to Courtney and learn about her experiences during her time at Elon and after her graduation. I believe that every classes could benefit from the experience that she has and the education that has shaped how she approaches humanitarian aid.
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