Social Media Health
Resume:
Contact
**********@*****.***
www.linkedin.com/in/anissa-raja
(LinkedIn)
Top Skills
Public Speaking
Social Media
Customer Service
Honors-Awards
Dean's List
SCIAC Second Team Conference
Player
AP Scholar with Distinction
President's Honor Roll
Superintendent's Honor Roll
Anissa Raja
Graduate Student at UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs Los Angeles, California
Summary
Recent graduate student of urban planning at UCLA's Luskin School of Public Affairs. Research interest and personal passion revolve around global environmental issues such as climate change adaptation, disaster management, and the intersection of these topics within public health.
Experience
WORLD Policy Analysis Center
WORLD Policy Data Visualization Fellow
January 2020 - Present (6 months)
Greater Los Angeles Area
As a Policy Data Visualization Fellow I design and develop visual media such as infographics, factsheets, and other knowledge products that synthesize WORLD’s global policy data and research findings. Specific topics will be assigned by WORLD team members. The broad goal of this Fellowship is to translate new data and evidence into impact by creating digestible, accessible, and informative storytelling deliverables. This work has solidified my understanding of global health policy research. Responsibilities for this position include but are not limited to:
-Maintaining contact with WORLD staff through email and routine and scheduled meetings
-Meeting internal project deadlines
-Producing requested deliverables
UCLA Planners of Color for Social Equity
Co-Chair Community Action
December 2018 - Present (1 year 7 months)
Greater Los Angeles Area
Planners of Color for Social Equity (PCSE) promotes critical thinking and grassroots activism that translates into socially just planning. PCSE serves as a support system for all students who wish to raise awareness of socially just planning on the campus community. Our group provides a safe space for students of all colors, creeds, nationalities, and educational backgrounds to Page 1 of 5
critically and strategically think about how they can improve the quality of life of marginalized communities. PCSE provides academic support, emotional health support, and activities that foster professional development. Our organization advocates for curriculum and faculty that provide students with the analysis and tools to engage in solutions towards institutionalizing social justice.
Responsibilities for this position include but are not limited to:
-Organizing events, community and committee meetings.
-Helped organize and cultivate a relationship with the Southern California Library.
-Organized a teach-in panel on the topic of "Equity, Race & Transportation".
-Aided in collaborations with other organizations such as UPWOCC. UCLA Fielding School of Public Health
Graduate Student Researcher V
November 2018 - January 2020 (1 year 3 months)
The UCLA Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH) is housed within the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, the School of Nursing, and the David Geffen School of Medicine. COEH faculty represent a wide-array of disciplines and schools with associated degree programs. COEH faculty merge multi- disciplinary perspectives to educate students to be able to identify and prevent the ever-changing exposures, illnesses and injuries associated with occupational and environmental health.
Responsibilities for this position include but are not limited to:
-Assisting in the literature review.
-Aiding in the gathering of public records data collection.
-GIS data analysis.
-Publication to follow in early 2020.
Beach Cities Health District
Blue Zones Policy Intern
June 2019 - September 2019 (4 months)
Greater Los Angeles Area
Beach Cities Health District is among the leading preventive health agencies in the nation, and has served the communities of Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach since 1955. It offers an extensive range of dynamic health and wellness programs, with innovative services and facilities to promote health and prevent diseases in every lifespan. Responsibilities for this position include but are not limited to: Page 2 of 5
-Bike Count
•Prepare materials and finalize count locations
•Develop and conduct trainings for volunteers
•Collect and input data, analyze data comparing trends from existing data sets
-Streets for All Framework
•Broadening the scope of Streets for All campaign to encompass well-being in the built environment to include active and safe.
•Research, develop messaging for website and collateral, program development and policy recommendations.
•Integrate existing research to build out on facts, best practices and policy recommendations.
-School Buffer Zone Research
•Identify Research case studies and best practices for school buffer zones
•Compare details, evaluation and outcomes, and process for each and develop a report on the potential application for Redondo Beach
-CIP Tracking for FY 19-20
•Review City budget and Capital Improvement Programs from each cities’ FY 19-20 budgets
•Identify priority projects related to Living Streets and livability.
•Track Council Agendas and relevant policy items.
Urban and Environmental Policy Institute
Web & Social Media Assistant
May 2016 - May 2018 (2 years 1 month)
Greater Los Angeles Area
The Urban & Environmental Policy Institute (UEPI) at Occidental College is an applied research and advocacy center. UEPI's mission is to advance community-driven programs and policies to build healthy, thriving communities while achieving social, economic and environmental justice. Responsibilities for the position included but were not limited to:
-Assisting in research for UEP professors and staff.
-Maintaining UEP database and newsletter and update UEP webpage and senior thesis projects.
-Basic office administrative duties and data entry. Occidental College Public Health Club
Co-President Occidental College Public Health Club January 2016 - May 2018 (2 years 5 months)
Occidental College
Responsibilities for the position included but were not limited to: Page 3 of 5
-Organizing weekly club meetings.
-Overseeing the club's campaigns, volunteer activities and on-campus fundraisers.
-As the previous Treasurer for this club, I previously focused on fundraising responsibilities and outreach between other clubs. City of Los Angeles
Policy, Community Relations, Planning and Communications Intern 4th District
August 2017 - January 2018 (6 months)
Greater Los Angeles Area
Council District 4 offers a taste of all the best that Los Angeles has to offer. Stretching from Sherman Oaks through Griffith Park to Miracle Mile, the district encompasses a diverse and vibrant community. Los Angeles City Councilmember David E. Ryu represents Los Angeles' 4th Council District, which includes the neighborhoods of Sherman Oaks, Toluca Lake, Hollywood, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, Silverlake, Miracle Mile, Hancock Park, Windsor Square, Larchmont and a portion of Koreatown.
Responsibilities for the position included but were not limited to:
-Policy research and development
-Outreach to key stakeholder groups
-Working with community groups
-Briefing senior staff
-Working with press and social media outlets
-Documenting council and committee meetings
-Helping with needs as they arise in a fast-paced political environment INNERCITY STRUGGLE
Academic Services & United Students Organizer
August 2016 - December 2016 (5 months)
Greater Los Angeles Area
InnerCity Struggle mission is to build a powerful and an influential movement of youth and families on the Eastside of Los Angeles to promote healthy, safe and nonviolent communities. The Eastside is comprised of the communities of Boyle Heights, unincorporated East Los Angeles, El Sereno and Lincoln Heights.
Responsibilities for the position included but were not limited to:
-Publishing a bi-weekly newsletter for the United Students, providing resources for upcoming test dates, scholarships, extra-curricular opportunities, event info, and general reminders for school.
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-Providing academic advising for the United Students’ seniors to assist with college applications, personal statements, and EOP applications through regular “office hours” and bi-weekly newsletters.
-Creating, managing, and organizing databases for all media contacts, attendants, organizing base, and prospects to contact for follow-up, e-mail blasts, and future notifications.
Illumination Foundation
CRC Intern
May 2015 - August 2015 (4 months)
Anaheim, California
The Illumination Foundation gives families hope each day they are in our program. They receive stable housing, medical services, mental health counseling, case management and life-saving basics such as food and clothing. Our program empowers vulnerable families with the skills to identify and overcome their diverse problems and improve their lives. Responsibilities for this position include but are not limited to:
- At the Children’s Resource Center (CRC), I was a staff member where I instructed school tutoring, enrichment activities and mentorship for children in both Stanton and Santa Ana.
Education
UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs
Master of Urban & Regional Planning · (2018 - 2020) Occidental College
Bachelor of Arts - BA, Urban & Environmental Policy · (2014 - 2018) University of Groningen
Spatial Sciences · (2017 - 2017)
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Anissa S. Raja
3550 Jasmine Ave, #1
Los Angeles, CA 90034
**********@*.****.***
Spring 2020
To whom it may concern,
As a graduate of both Occidental College and UCLA, I have been exposed to a variety of learning experiences within Los Angeles while exploring my master of Urban & Regional Planning education. During this upcoming year, I am hoping to further my passion and experience in the field, while focusing on international and regional development through a public health lens. Working for this position would nicely align with my extensive educational background and career pursuits.
My research interest and personal passion revolve around global environmental issues such as climate change adaptation, disaster management, and the intersection of these topics within public health. I have experience in a fast-paced environment as I have interned at Los Angeles City Hall and worked on building a climate change white paper for councilmembers through the Luskin Leaders Program. I currently am the Data Visualization Fellow for the WORLD Policy Analysis Center in the Fielding School of Public Health at UCLA. During my first year at UCLA, I was a researcher on the project "Health in Main Streets" which studies the impacts of businesses and public spaces on neighborhood health. It was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as well as the Royal Society for Public Health in the UK and should be published later this year. This two year project aimed to investigate the intersection of businesses and public health within urban areas of the US. In my position, I compiled research for a literature review and policy implications of the business, retail, food, commercial, and neighborhood environment of “Main Street” in 50 different sites nationwide as well as GIS mapping of these areas. I incorporated this research into my master’s capstone which will provide evidence to support local authorities in their decisions to engage in health-promoting planning and regulatory practices, specifically by curtailing the number of “unhealthy” businesses on main streets. In the larger scholarship and research conducted by public health advocates, situating the Los Angeles context of businesses found in these spaces and their implications on public health could uncover the larger, wide-scale impacts of how businesses interact with the environments that they serve.
Through education and experience, I have fostered interpersonal skills, in written, oral and multimedia outlets. I have advanced experience in qualitative and quantitative research. As a graduate student at UCLA, I used Stata in my urban statistics course and for my thesis. I also have used Tableau for past projects (both academic and professional). In past courses, I have also used qualitative research in direct observations as well as interviews for research. I have advanced experience in using WordPress. While working for the Urban & Environmental Policy Institute as a Social Media Assistant & Office Assistant (05/2016-06/2018) I applied my social media and graphic design skills to WordPress and various other media outlets. I also have extensive experience in GIS as I have used it both professionally and academically for over four years. This past summer I was the Policy Intern for the Beach Cities Health District. I primarily focused on built environment issues, which are tied to mobility and health outcomes for this area. I provided research and community engagement to advocate for certain stances through a holistic framework focusing on public health. I was able to distinguish myself by being granted a
“Women in Transportation” scholarship due to my work and passion for transportation studies. As a past Co-President for the Public Health club at Occidental College, I was able to lead and participate in community engagement projects through volunteering with organizations such as Food Forward and MEND that look to bring greater equality to LA. I also orchestrated large-scale fundraisers, such as raising money for natural disaster relief and national public health week. In the fall of 2016, I worked as a Community Organizer for InnerCity Struggle with the students of Boyle Heights high schools to advance educational rights. My 2015 summer previous internship at the non-profit organization Illumination Foundation required me to plan educational lessons and enrichment activities for underprivileged children in the surrounding areas of Santa Ana in Orange County.
My aim, if I were to be granted this position, would be to continue to gain much greater knowledge of this field of study so that I can pursue a career where I may fulfill my desires to assist economically, environmentally, socially, and politically disadvantaged groups through effective, egalitarian policies and planning. In the future, I hope to work in the international field by developing sustainable and equitable approaches that mitigate and adapt to climate change in areas that are predisposed to bear the brunt of these changes. If any further information is necessary please don’t hesitate to contact me, thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Anissa S. Raja
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