Meet Our Student – Elaina Schreckenberger (Dec ’16)

Elaina Schreckenberger (Dec '16) on a recent trip to England.

Elaina Schreckenberger (Dec ’16) is pursuing an MSW (Community Empowerment and Program Development concentration) and MPH (Health Promotion & Behavior concentration).  She earned a B.S. in Community Health from Georgia Student College and State University in May 2014.

Ms. Schreckenberger is extremely interested in working on a global scale, primarily with children.  She states, “After spending time in Belize and seeing so many children who had never seen the inside of a doctor's office or received any type of medical care, I realized that I have a deep concern for the health and welfare/well-being of all children.  I would also like to work with children experiencing cancer because I can sympathize as well as empathize with children and their families, being that I am a childhood cancer survivor of 17 years.  After discovering the ‘Red Nose Day’ campaign, I learned I am also interested in working with families experiencing physical illnesses (whether in the child or parent).  I would be interested in working with children who are caregivers for their parents and making sure that they are taking care of themselves as well as their families.” 

Ms. Schreckenberger spent three and a half years as a nanny with College Nannies and Tutors of Grayson/Atlanta, Georgia.  During her time as a nanny, she I met many families and spent time with lots of children and enjoyed watching them grow and learn about the world around them.  This fall she will begin a Graduate Assistantship with the Graduate School.  Ms. Schreckenberger also volunteers with the Saint Lawrence Catholic Church High School Ministry where she helps with retreats and other events for teenagers, and supports them as they go through this developmental life stage.  In the past she has volunteered with Camp Sunshine (a camp in Georgia for kids with cancer) and Communities in Schools of Milledgeville, Georgia.

Ms. Schreckenberger’s career goals are to work abroad or with a global-based organization that works with children and their families.  Her main goal is ensuring that children are getting their basic needs met and are provided with access to healthcare and other means that will improve their well-being.  She has traveled to England, Belize, Germany, Austria, Lichtenstein, and Switzerland.

On why she chose the dual MSW/MPH program, Ms. Schreckenberger states, “I've always known that I wanted to help people have better lives.  First I found public health and realized how much I want to help people live healthy lives.  Then, when I spent time in Belize and I learned about the complete lack of healthcare across the whole country, I felt a connection and even deeper desire to work with populations that have little to no healthcare access.  I wanted to be able to learn about how I can promote health in low income communities world-wide. But I realized with public health that often times there is a lack of communication between the health promoters/workers and the community that is being helped.  By adding the MSW to my MPH degree, I hope to be able to learn the skills necessary to become culturally-conscious.  I believe that in order to help any community, you have to understand the community and show you respect their social and cultural norms before effectively working with them.  This can lead to more effective programs and (hopefully) healthier lifestyles.”

Visit Ms. Schreckenberger’s LinkedIn profile