The Summer Associates - National Coalition Against Prescription Drug Abuse/Bay Area Community Resources
AmeriCorps VISTA has relaunched the “VISTA Summer Associate” program and across the country, over 893 Summer Associates have started service along side full-term VISTA Volunteers. Here at CHLI, we are pleased to welcome four new VISTA Summer Associates serving at overdose prevention coalitions for short 8-week terms.
Get to know our VISTA Summer Associates and reach out to share your advice, resources, and support!
Sophia Cheng
Sophia is an AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associate at National Coalition Against Prescription Drug Abuse, where she has interned for a year and a half prior to serving. She is a rising senior at UC Berkeley, where she is majoring in Public Health and double minoring in Public Policy and Global Poverty & Practice. She plans on pursuing an MPH in the future.
Why I serve: I want to continue my work training families and community members on reversing opioid overdoses with naloxone, and I also want to gain experience on the administrative side of nonprofits.
Please Reach out if: I would love to connect with other VISTA volunteers considering an MPH or who have already gotten their MPH! Sophia can be reached at sophiaytcheng@berkeley.edu.
Soliana Antoine
Soliana is an AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associate at Contra Costa MEDS. She is an incoming sophomore at University of California, Santa Cruz who is passionate about learning, community engagement, and creating positive change. Outside of service, she enjoys spending time with friends, exploring new places, and trying new experiences.
Why I serve: I serve because I want to make a meaningful impact in my community while learning more about the challenges people face. Through service, I hope to grow both personally and professionally while helping others.
Please Reach out if: You have advice about community outreach, leadership, or professional development. I'd also love to connect with people who have experience building strong community partnerships or who can share their service journey and lessons learned. Soliana can be reached at sgantoinee@gmail.com.
Jasmine Young
Jasmine is an AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associate at the National Coalition Against Prescription Drug Abuse. She is a second year at the University of California Berkeley studying Molecular & Cell Biology and Public Health. She hopes to pursue a career in medicine following her bachelors.
Why I serve: As an AmeriCorps VISTA, I want to address the systemic issues that surround overdose prevention and outreach. I wish to shine light on the resources that are available regarding overdose prevention to establish a well informed and properly equipped community.
Please reach out if: I would love to connect with other VISTA Volunteers who are interested in the healthcare space. Namely for patient-facing roles (ie: PA or MD) or those interested in more administrative fields (ie: healthcare consulting)! Jasmine can be reached at jasjacyoung@berkeley.edu.
Estelle Murphy
Estelle is an AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associate at Contra Costa MEDS Coalition. Prior to joining the CHLI AmeriCorps VISTA Hub, they worked as an EMT at a sobering center where they contributed to direct patient care and attends UC Santa Cruz studying molecular, cellular, and developmental biology.
Why I serve: I want to learn more about the community level impacts of the overdose epidemic so I can be a better-informed healthcare provider.
Please Reach out if: I would love to connect with other VISTA Volunteers considering medical school and any physicians who do related research. I’m especially interested in hearing about the application process and studying for the MCAT. Estelle can be reached at estellem0118@gmail.com.