Victoria Rose Schnakenberg

I attribute my success to the other women in my family. They demonstrate great resilience and strength that provided me with ambition to pursue my goals. My grandmother, who passed away a few months ago, raised four children practically on her own while maintaining her passions of cross-stitch, making clothes, and instilling her light in all of her descendants. My mother went through stage 3 breast cancer after being told she wouldn’t survive while simultaneously raising a teenage daughter, and my sister moved across the country and quit her corporate job to pursue her life’s passions. All of them built the framework that supports me in my life today, showing that anything is possible as long as you have internal strength and a positive mindset.

The best career advice I have ever received is that it is okay to not know everything. I think that can be applied in all realms of life. Just because you hold a leadership position, you do not have to be perfect or know immediately how to approach every situation. Saying “I will look into it” is so much more impactful than “I don’t know, but I need to pretend that I do”. As Practice Manager of the Interprofessional Clinic, I probably asked my boss a hundred questions a day, and that is why an environment where asking questions is absolutely imperative to the success of a workplace. As public health professionals, we are prepared for adverse events, such as natural disasters, or on a smaller scale, maybe a hospital losing water access. However, we as individuals might not know exactly what to do in the moment, but that is what is beautiful as having a team to brainstorm and problem-solve with.

I encourage young women pursuing careers in public health to keep their purpose at the forefront of their mind, and remember why this work matters to them. As you enter the field of public health, never lose sight of the reason you started, and let your purpose guide you through both the challenges and successes. Remembering my “why” helped me understand that I couldn't erase the hardships that our patients face, but focusing on my purpose and intentions transforms the emotional weight of the work into motivation.

The biggest challenges within the field of public health right now is the current administration defunding and deregulating federal health agencies. The Trump administration has proposed significant funding reductions for the CDC and NIH, which are two important health databases responsible for tracking and monitoring disease outbreaks, educating about preventative health practices, publishing morbidity and mortality reports, and working to prevent global health threats before they reach US borders. 

Not to mention how they have tightened eligibility requirements for Medicaid, such as introducing work requirements, which limits access primarily for people with disabilities. And now that premium subsidies provided by the Affordable Care Act are now expiring, people are having to choose between paying outrageous premiums or paying high out of pocket costs. Planned Parenthood has now regained access to federal Medicaid funding, but nearly 30 clinics nationwide have closed and their whole mission is to provide affordable reproductive care for women.

Our government essentially wants us to have as limited access to healthcare resources and health information as possible, but the great thing is that we have a world full of public health professionals that are willing to work together to rebuild our health system when this nonsense is over.

Perseverance is the most important value in my personal and professional life. Change and hardship are life’s only true constants, which is why perseverance is so necessary for overcoming inevitable obstacles. I think as humans, we often take challenges placed in our paths for granted, but reflecting on how you persevere through them can translate into resilience and confidence.