My name is Lauren Smith and I am an Accelerated Master’s Degree (AMD) Student in Public Health – Epidemiology. I started UWM as a Global Studies Major and then switched to Public Health when I took a global health course and fell in love with the health aspect. As a Public Health major, I have been immersed in different types of research. I have taken lots of Research Methods courses and other courses like toxicology, epidemiology, environmental health, and global health. I am really interested in social epidemiology, and I would like to focus on community interventions and prevention. My dream career would involve traveling to communities that have limited access to essential resources, services, education, and healthcare in order to learn a better way to prevent malaria and other infectious diseases. I am excited to be a part of the UWM MCW Cancer Center Undergraduate Research Program because I would love to be a part of a community that looks to better the world. I want to learn more about and gain a better understanding of what goes into the research process, especially in cancer research. Outside of the classroom, I am president of the UWM women’s club volleyball team, and I work for the UWM’s Department of Global Studies, and I am a waitress! I love traveling and learning new cultures, religions, foods, traditions, and meeting new people.