Community Health Narrative, Interview Example

For this assignment, I interviewed a friend that I had not known that well, but wanted to understand more.  Indeed, this assignment provided me with the opportunity to understand someone from a different background and social group than myself.

I had known Sarah for roughly four years from class, and even though I had worked with her in groups, I still did not know much about her.  Sarah grew up in a rough area of town: in her neighborhood there were often times killings, drugs, and a high level of crime.  Although she said she often times walked home into very dangerous territory, she didn’t ask for help but wanted to face the challenge alone.  Overall, Sarah did not have many issues related to health up to this point in her life; she had been hospitalized for a fever when she was younger, however, she was now in good health.  She mentioned that she had a younger brother who was autistic; this placed a burden on the entire family, not only in terms of material expenditure, but also in how the family spent their time.  Sarah’s parents came from a working class background: her mother’s father worked as a plumber and her mother also worked as a day laborer.  Although her parents were not highly educated, she said her parents stressed education at every turn in her development.  Indeed, as a young child, her parents would often times read to her and enrolled her early in kindergarten in order to give her a “head start” on life.  Sarah said her parents served as a key role model in her life, not only serving as a key source of support and strength during tough times in her life.  When she was suspended in high school for being involved in a fight (she was hit by another girl), her parents stood by her even though the principal suspected she had started the fight.  Family is very important to her, and she believes it played a key role in her overall development.

On a daily basis, Sarah’s life is usually filled with work and school.  Indeed, in addition to working a demanding part-time job, Sarah also is looking forward to a career in the health services industry.  Sarah said she roughly works from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and attends courses in the late afternoon and at night.  After she has finished classes at night, she also has to do two to three hours of homework in order to prepare for the next day.  Although she is busy during the week, and doesn’t have a lot of down time, she enjoys her current career path and the challenges it provides.  On the weekends, when Sarah is not as busy, she enjoys a number of activities: reading, working out, and hanging out with family and friends.  In particular, Sarah has enjoyed running.  While she used to simply run a few miles ago, a few years ago she decided to train for a marathon.  Although she didn’t have much time to train, she was able to train for and ultimately finish a marathon roughly two months ago.  Sarah also enjoys reading and writing; she particularly likes reading novels and wrote short stories during high school.

In addition to her parents, she said that her career mentor (also her academic advisor) plays a key role of strength and support in her life.  Indeed, she has known her mentor for over six years, and has played a key role in developing her interest in the health care field and conducting research in the field.  In addition, Sarah says she enjoys interacting with her colleagues and fellow class mates to learn about what they are doing, as well as  to understand how to be a better colleague and friend to those around her.  Sarah does participate in numerous cultural activities related to the Hispanic community.  Indeed, in addition to being a member of many Hispanic student groups, she also serves as a mentor to younger individuals. She enjoys the role and the perspective it gives her.  Overall, Sarah is quite satisfied with the current trajectory of her life. She likes her career and hopes to help others who want to follow her path.