Jocelyn Chu is the Director of Community Engaged Learning. The focus of her work is in field based education and community engaged learning. She develops partnerships with host organizations and designs field based opportunities to engage students in team processes and leadership development. Jocelyn leads the Community Engaged Learning Fellowships program which centers on a practice of critical reflection and transformative learning.

Jocelyn’s journey in public health started at a community health center in Boston’s Chinatown, developing programs and working alongside health educators to promote health and well being among immigrants in the community.  She has spent the majority of her public health career in research and consulting. Most recently she was with John Snow, Inc. (JSI) in Boston, where she served in a variety of roles to provide technical assistance, assessment and evaluation services for state and federal agencies, and private organizations.

Jocelyn spent her formative years in Sydney, Australia, and came to the U.S. to pursue graduate studies in public health. Jocelyn received her MPH from Boston University School of Public Health and ScD in Health and Social Behavior at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Saige Kenner is a junior at Southern University and A&M College majoring in Agricultural Sciences with a concentration in Agricultural Business and a minor in Political Science. Her work centers on rural economic development and making federal programs more accessible to underserved communities. Her recent project, Strengthening Rural Communities for Better Health, applies the Community Capitals Framework and Asset-Based Community Development to help local leaders improve health outcomes and access public resources.
She is grateful for the opportunity to be a Delta Scholar and a Harvard T.H. Chan Public Health Scholar—experiences that have strengthened her commitment to public service and deepened her understanding of how to create more equitable systems. Saige plans to pursue graduate studies and continue bridging the gap between policy and the communities it’s meant to serve.

Hello, my name is Naiya Fort and I am a junior biology major at Alcorn State University. I am from Monroe, Louisiana which is relatively close to Mississippi. As I further my education, I plan on attending nursing school and graduating with a Bachelors of Science in Nursing. After this I plan on working in a clinical site until I go back to school to become a nurse anesthetist. As a Public Health Delta Scholar I plan on addressing food insecurity in the Mississippi Delta, especially with older aging adults. Through my work as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), I’ve encountered the stark reality of how many elderly individuals in nursing homes face neglect and a lack of adequate care. Their health is often over looked, and their emotional wellbeing is left unaddressed, which motivated me to pursue a deeper understanding of how public health initiatives can improve the lives of elderly individuals and other underserved groups. I am so excited to see what comes from the initiatives in my project and the new opportunities that will be made from it!

Bianca Hemsath is a rising junior at the University of Mississippi majoring in chemical engineering. At UM, she is proud member of both the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and the Center for Manufacturing Excellence. She is vice president of the student chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and a member of Ole Miss Ambassadors, Tau Beta Pi, and the Society of Women Engineers.
As a native of northern Kentucky, Bianca grew up on the Ohio River, which sparked her interest in water quality. This summer, she was thankful for the opportunity to work with Dr. Ong and dive deeper into the connection between drinking water quality and public health. In the future, she hopes to research innovative methods of water treatment, ensuring that everyone has access to clean water. Bianca is beyond grateful to be a 2025 Delta Scholar and a Havard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Scholar.