2016 CIIP Program Booklet | Page 45

Community Partner : STAR TRACK Intern : Poonam Gupta Site Supervisor : Gabrielle Mnkande
What is STAR TRACK ? The STAR TRACK Program ' s mission is to provide leadership in Maryland on adolescent HIV health issues by : Providing comprehensive , interdisciplinary , individualized , and confidential health care to HIV infected and at risk adolescents and young adults . We also provide youth‐friendly health education , prevention , and early identification services to HIV infected and at risk adolescents , young adults , and their communities .
Tasks :
• Manned desk and assisted in patient intake for HIV and STD testing in the free clinic and various outreach events
• Planned and co‐led STAR TRACK PrEP campaign with regards to social media , filming , and volunteers
• Assisted in the planning of the Youth Pride 2016 , which included testing presence , activity tables , Youth Stage , and contacting other organizations
I distinctly remember my first day , as my supervisor was sho condom room , the various offices , the free clinic , and a sup dildos and ass models , ending finally with a cheery “ Welcom What followed was one of the most enlightening , challengin experiences I ’ ve ever had at Hopkins . In the beginning , my m to become as knowledgeable as I possibly could on all thing of time asking about lingo , looking up terminology , and tryi definitions . What I didn ’ t realize , however , was how much I having conversations and forming relationships with comm wasn ’ t important to label people with memorized definition instead to appreciate everyone ’ s unique backgrounds and u the shared goal of community acceptance . As I accompanie coalition meetings , planned and prepared for our week long manned the desk at our free clinic , I had the opportunity to wonderful people with , unfortunately , had several barriers from clinician and societal ignorance . As someone who doe LGBTQ , being in this environment has not only increased m area but my overall competence in the social justice issues and urban environments . Youth and homelessness , racial ju class , and access to health care are just some of the many in all affect those in the LGBTQ community . But what I learned that these issues cannot be tackled alone , and those at STA acknowledge this . With especially trying times in our countr my coworkers had the community and each other to lean o I ’ ll cherish well past the bounds of my time here . ‐ Poonam