Nathaniel Mapeso
Masters Student in Global Health Systems at the University of Western Ontario
I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Carleton University in 2019. Immediately after graduating, I was ready for a hands-on role in protecting our environment as a Fire Ranger with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. However, one of the things that stuck with me most from my time at Carleton, was learning about the huge impact our food systems and human geography have on our physical health. I couldn’t help but think about it constantly during the fire season.
To advance my thinking on these topics, I decided to pursue a Master’s in Global Health Systems at the University of Western Ontario. Initially, I had a severe case of imposter syndrome: most of my professors and classmates were healthcare professionals, had health sciences backgrounds, or were using the program as a stepping-stone to an MD degree. However, by the time midterms came around in the first semester, I realised that the topics of social justice, food justice, and human geography that made up the bulk of my undergraduate studies were deeply connected to global and public health. As a result, I thrived in classroom discussions. Learning about topics like the social determinants of health (SDOH) came naturally as an Environmental Studies graduate, since SDOH as a concept is rooted in social justice movements, to help policy planners understand the intricate relationships between a person’s social and geographic environments and how they impact health.
After a brief stint working with the federal government, I have been able to start working in public health and am hopeful that I can start applying the concepts that I first learned about at Carleton, to help develop programs that make access to a healthy life more equitable. If you are thinking about working in public health in the future, it would definitely be worthwhile to take the Environmental Studies program!