From the president
Aaniyah Jarrette, a second-year student at Spelman College, is committed to addressing the root causes of housing insecurity to reduce the number of people impacted in her community. A Clayton County, Georgia, resident, Ms. Jarrette has collaborated with county officials to plan and execute back-to-school drives, health fairs, and food pantry events that ensure residents have access to necessary goods and services regardless of their housing status. Since enrolling at Spelman, Aaniyah has continued her dedication to service and taken on leadership roles in the Spelman College Section of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's community service board, the National Council of Negro Women's finance committee, Spelman College chapter and, the Spelman Bonner Scholar Program. Ms. Jarrette has also continued her work with the non-profit agency Hearts to Nourish Hope. She explores how housing insecurity and homelessness function as social determinants of health reflecting long-term racial disparities. Jarrette, a Biology major on the pre-medicine track, uses her studies and research experiences to deepen her impact on the community. This year, she participated in the organization of a housing symposium that provided workshops on tenants’ rights, eviction laws, financial literacy, and home ownership.
Personal Statement
I grew up volunteering regularly with my family at food banks and homeless shelters in my hometown of Clayton County, Georgia. In high school, I began to see connections in the work that I was doing at different agencies that served some of the same people. I could see how insecurity in one area, like housing, would create challenges for the impacted family in other areas, such as education and employment. I became curious about how these challenges facing my community were interrelated. As a member of the Health Careers Program, I have researched housing insecurity as a social determinant of health, and as a result, I began to focus my work with the non-profit organization Hearts to Nourish Hope on ensuring that the health fairs we host offer resources to support housing security alongside health assessments and helpful medical information. While enrolled at Spelman College, I continued my engagement with Hearts to Nourish Hope, volunteering weekly. On campus, I'm active in organizations that focus on addressing the symptoms of poverty and social injustice and work intentionally to attack the root causes of these persistent issues.