Graduates of the UW–Madison School of Education are enjoying successful careers in fields across the arts, health, and education — and we are excited to share what they are doing today.
Following is a Q&A with Abigail Kattre, who graduated in 2024 with a BS in Health Promotion and Health Equity.
How did you get interested in this field/major?
I became interested in public health at some point in high school. I knew I wanted to be involved in health, but as I dove into different professions I realized I wanted to look at things on a wider scale than what the clinical level allowed. This is when I discovered the idea of public health and the science of protecting and improving the health of populations. Shortly after this discovery, COVID hit and my passions grew deeper. Then, in my freshman year at UW–Madison I discovered the Health Promotion and Health Equity major and loved the coursework and dynamic nature of the program.
How did you decide that UW–Madison was the right place for this degree?
UW–Madison was the right place for this degree because it is one of the only schools that offer an undergrad program like this. It combines public health with communication and equity skills to develop well-rounded professionals.
What are you doing today?
I am currently a case manager at Journey Mental Health Center in Madison. While doing this, I am applying to different graduate school programs focusing on public health leadership, food equity, and community development. My ultimate goal is to become a community health program creator and organizer.
What was your most meaningful experience with the HPHE Program?
My most meaningful experience with the HPHE program was collaborating with different peers in the major to create the HPHE Learning Community. Because the major was (and still is) so small (but rapidly growing), many students, myself included, felt like we lacked community and resources compared to other parts of campus. Our team created a community with a newsletter, resume-building workshops, tutoring sessions, and study spaces to enhance the HPHE major. This was a unique experience as it taught me how to build something from the ground up. It really laid the foundation for me deciding my future career.
What class or professor had the greatest impact on you, and why?
There are two classes in the HPHE coursework that felt particularly impactful to me. The first being Kines 566: Promoting Health in the Community. This class is similar to a capstone class, requiring students to create a full-scale health promotion program proposal. I loved this class because of its collaborative nature, and by the end I felt like I had created something impactful. I used the finalized draft of this project in portfolios for job and higher education applications. The second class that was highly impactful for me was COUN PSY 655: Clinical Communication Skills. This class gave me practical experience in motivational interviewing and other clinical communication skills. Throughout the semester, I was pushed out of my comfort zone to be vulnerable with my peers and to retrain my brain for various communication styles. This class has been particularly impactful for my professional and personal life, teaching me how to talk to everyone with awareness and respect.
How, if at all, has the HPHE program at UW helped you get to where you are today?
The HPHE program has shaped me as a person, cultivating my passions and showing me a way to turn those into a career. Something that many people fail to realize is that HPHE allows for its students to double major or add various certificates. This can be used to amplify a pre-med student’s undergrad journey, give business students a unique and valuable point of view, or be a stepping stone for future public health professionals. This dynamic nature allowed me to explore my interests and broaden my range of skills throughout my time at UW. Not only has this helped me professionally, it has also allowed me to explore other fields of expertise that interest me.
Have you participated in any research, study abroad, or community service?
My research during undergrad was at the Farm2Facts Lab and UW Extension. In the Farm2Facts Lab we provided survey tools to farmers, allowing them to track their customer and financial data at farmer’s markets. Farm2Facts then partnered with UW Extension to turn this data into a grant report, giving millions of dollars to support financial assistance programs at farmer’s markets. This experience really allowed me to find my passion in food equity, as well as make a tangible difference for the state of Wisconsin. Additionally, this research experience was unique because it allowed me to work in different areas: surveying, grant writing, and presenting the information in a digestible way.