Holding on to family and health

By Kyle Hobstetter on January 13, 2022

When Natia Gordon-Howell transferred to Towson University from Harford Community College (HCC), they knew the transition wasn’t going to be easy.

As a commuter student, Gordon-Howell had to travel up to an hour each day to attend classes. They also had to work full-time while navigating the college experience as a first-generation student.

But that didn’t stop Gordon-Howell from graduating this past December with a degree in health education and promotion[BROKEN LINK].

“I credit my resiliency and the resiliency of my support system, because there were some challenging times where I did have to rely on them,” Gordon-Howell says. “My degree isn’t just for myself. I’m so grateful for my family and my support system because they allowed me to come out on the other side, not fully depleted.”

It was Gordon-Howell’s experience with their family that led them toward health education.

Growing up, Gordon-Howell watched as their youngest sister dealt with a very serious illness. The family worked with health care providers and navigated the health care system.

Health care workers inspired Gordon-Howell to advocate for families in similar situations.

“I found that the experiences we had with health care workers…they were nice, kind and empathized with us,” Gordon-Howell says. “And most importantly, they listened to our experience as a family. They were the ones that helped the most, and they created a really safe space  for us during a time that was incredibly scary for our family.”

Starting at HCC, Gordon-Howell was initially interested in becoming a physician’s assistant. But then they started taking classes like yoga, health communications, health behavior and human sexuality.

It was through these classes that Gordon-Howell found a passion for helping others understand their own health. When Gordon-Howell transferred to TU, they found the perfect major in health education and promotion.

“Holistic health and wellness are a big passion of mine,” Gordon-Howell says. “That helped a lot with my mental health and helped sustain me. Everything culminated in a way that I’m really happy with. It’s interesting where you start and where you end up.”

There have been a few stops along the way. One was back in Harford County, where Gordon-Howell served as the health education and promotion intern at Towson University in Northeastern Maryland (TUNE).

Gordon-Howell got to put what they learned into action by planning events that promoted mental health awareness, food insecurity and other health initiatives. They were also the voice of TUNE’s social media messaging, including the promotion of “Wellness Wednesday,” “Thing about it Thursdays” and “Fitness Fridays.”

“Natia is intentional with their work and distinguished themself as a health education and promotion intern by creating exceptional programming in person and virtual for TUNE students,” says Allison Frey, director of student services at TUNE and Gordon-Howell’s supervisor.   

One event stood out to Frey that showcased the effort and passion Gordon-Howell put into their internship.

“Natia networked within the Harford County community and was able to secure a scholarship to fund a screening of “The Power of Expression,” a documentary focused on mental health and suicide prevention,” Frey says. “Natia invited the creators of the project to TUNE for a Q&A session and secured additional funding from the TUNE Student Advisory Board to offer dinner to students who attended the evening event.”

Along with the internship, this past year Gordon-Howell passed the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) Test. They were one of the few in their cohort to not only take the exam but pass.

Between their internship, the CHES exam and their overall experience at TU, Gordon-Howell found a job right out of college. This January, they started as a learning coordinator at Higher Achievement, a Baltimore organization that provides afterschool programs to area middle schools.

As they start their next journey, Gordon-Howell can’t help but go back to something their mom told them as they went through college: “With the college degree, you can write your own ticket.”

“I didn’t understand that going through the process, but, being at the end, I’m definitely holding on tight to that,” Gordon-Howell laughs. “I don’t know how many times I could have given up or didn’t want to finish. But I didn’t quit, and now we’re here. This degree propels me, my generation and my family forward.”