REAL Students Advancing Health Equity
Through hands-on clinical work, policy advocacy, and healthcare research, three SA国际传媒 students are turning classroom knowledge into real-world impact in the fight for more equitable community health
By Kate Vander Vort ’27
Community health work takes more than just passion. It takes time, training, trust, and often financial support. For many students, getting meaningful experience in mental health, clinical care, or public health research simply is not realistic without that kind of backing.
Last summer, three students with three very different placements worked toward the same goal: improving access to care and advancing health equity in ways that feel personal and practical.
Hands-On Clinical Care
For Psychology major Audrey Weaver ’26, that work happened face to face with patients and families. Through internships at Brighter Minds and the Pacific Neuroscience Institute, she worked in neuropsychological assessment and cognitive rehabilitation, gaining clinical experience that many students do not encounter until graduate school.
At Brighter Minds, Weaver scored neuropsychological assessments, drafted evaluation reports, and observed testing sessions. The work gave families clarity, helping parents better understand how to support their children both at school and at home. At the Pacific Neuroscience Institute’s Memory Care program, she helped design cognitive rehabilitation lessons and observed support groups for couples navigating early dementia diagnoses.
I grew to love report writing and learning about each client’s unique case.
Through REAL funding, Weaver was able to fully immerse herself in patient-centered clinical work. The experience helped her realize that the therapy-focused aspects of her internship were what she found most meaningful, and she now plans to pursue a Master of Social Work and become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.
Mental Health Advocacy and Policy
While Weaver’s work took place in clinical settings, Public Health and Psychology double major Kate Ridgeway ’26 approached mental health from a policy perspective. As an intern with NAMI Washington, she worked across programming, advocacy, and legislation, gaining insight into how systems shape access to care.
Ridgeway coordinated speakers for statewide conferences, collaborated with the Youth Advisory Board, and worked alongside the organization’s public policy team to meet directly with state legislators. During her internship, federal Medicare and Medicaid cuts had immediate effects on Washington’s mental health funding, showing her how quickly policy decisions can influence who receives care and who does not.
One of the most impactful experiences was advocating directly to state representatives.
The experience brought together her interdisciplinary studies, combining public health, psychology, and political science. Through REAL, Ridgeway was able to move beyond classroom discussions and take part in real advocacy work addressing mental health inequities.
Expanding Access Through Research
Across the healthcare system, Psychology and Sociology double major Zara Farber ’26 contributed through clinical research. As an intern with the VA Palo Alto Health Care System’s Network of Dedicated Enrollment Sites, she supported multi-site trials aimed at improving care for veterans.
Farber was drawn to the organization’s mission of expanding awareness and access to research, particularly for underrepresented communities. Her work included participating in international meetings with physicians and supporting research related to Parkinsonism and chronic low back pain, helping extend outreach efforts beyond a single site.
I want to help people get better access to research and care. Some people suffer in silence.
Through REAL, Farber strengthened her research skills while gaining a broader understanding of how advocacy can take place behind the scenes. As a student interested in law and advocacy, she sees this experience as foundational for future work focused on improving access to care.
Though their placements look very different—one in clinical rehabilitation, one in grassroots mental health advocacy, and one in large-scale healthcare research—all three students have come away with a deeper understanding of inequities in access to care and a stronger commitment to addressing them.
The REAL Program does more than fund internships. It gives students the chance to step into real communities, listen closely, and contribute in meaningful ways. For Weaver, Ridgeway, and Farber, it has shaped not only their skills but also the kind of professionals they hope to become.
About the REAL Program
The REAL Program provides paid experiential learning opportunities for undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences. Developed to allow students to discover their interests, gain a rich understanding of a particular field, discern their career goals, and explore future employment fields, the program has distributed roughly $3.25 million to more than 860 students across all majors since its inception in 2018. Placements range from non-profit and community service organizations to research labs, governmental organizations, and beyond.