Do The Change: Challenging and Reimagining OEHS

Do the Change: Reimagining OEHS with Mulika Musyimi, MPH (Part 2 )

• Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH)

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Tune into Part 2 of our conversation with Mulika Musyimi, a passionate advocate in public and global health!

About the Speaker: Mulika Musyimi, MPH is originally from Kilifi, a small town in the Coast province of Kenya, and he is the son of farmers, cooks, teachers, tailors, hotel workers, and storytellers. He wants to acknowledge them and their impact because without them, there wouldn't be a story thread featuring him. In addition to having various relatives experience health challenges throughout his life, there was also the realization that as a Sub-Saharan African migrant living in a US context, there was now this different exposure/perspective of seeing and making sense of his surroundings. The markedly poor overall health outcomes experienced by Black communities on the continent and in the diaspora is dire and needs addressing particularly because of the sum of stressors that social determinants of health place on an individual, a family, and a community. In short, these were some of his motivators in pursuing an MPH in Global Environmental Health.

See full transcript here: https://www.coeh.berkeley.edu/do-change-mulika-musyimi

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Hey y'all, welcome to part two of our conversation with our amazing speaker on the Do the Change podcast we're going to hop right back into the conversation. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel, Spotify page, and follow us on Instagram @dothechangepodcast. Okay, so it is time to transition into tea time with Tyra. Basically getting into the nitty-gritties. So, first question is have you encountered any moments of self-doubt or imposter syndrome throughout your academic journey and also outside of that?

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

A thousand percent yes, and I feel like examples are gonna be asked.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yeah, I mean, I mean if you would like to it's totally up to you what you want to share but if you want to that'd be awesome.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Yeah, yeah. I want to zero in on my grad experience because I feel like to date, I have never been exposed to anything as rigorous as a grad degree. So I feel like this was one of the moments in my life that I truly felt, truly stretched, truly challenged, academically, socially, emotionally. And part of it to was maybe just expectations, maybe false expectations, maybe perceived expectations, you know on being accepted to Cal. It's not that I did not know I was capable, I knew that inherently, however when I wasn't performing let's say well in a quiz or a test-

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Right.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

In biostatistics or Epi, it was really really hard not to, to feel like it was my fault you know and in as much as the institution, Berkeley School of Public Health offered the resources to tap assistance and help and coaching it's, I still felt that there were moments where I- I struggled and I, I don't know whether I'll be able to ever get an answer to that, maybe part of that is just like part of just the process of just going through hardships, you know? Part of them either outside of me, you know, things that I cannot control. But yeah grad school definitely revealed a lot of those moments and yeah let me pause there for now.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

I mean, I also want to add some context which could be part of, can be another question but our particular program was not diverse. Diverse would be a stretch if I called our program diverse, or our department diverse I'll say that. But I say that to say that I guess I want to not only of the context but also acknowledge that it's a very fair feeling to feel like we don't like something is wrong, or like that, not that we don't belong in this space but like is something wrong when we look left and right and there's not a lot of us there. Like you know what I'm saying? So-

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Yes.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yeah, so I guess I want to add maybe a note of comfort of like I felt the same way, even though I didn't really express it, I felt the same way and part of that was like there wasn't a lot of people to turn to. Granted we did have friends that were great and definitely saved our butts a couple times in classes, but there is something to looking around and seeing people who look like you in the spaces and classes that we had that I wish we had sooner because we did have classes like leadership classes where we saw other folks of color and it was great. And not to take away from the difficulty of those classes but like I think it's a lot. I think there's a lot that that adds to imposter syndrome and one of those things is like visual, like visually I don't see us there. And there are things that could be improved upon about that and it doesn't help when you're kind of beating yourself up and then you're looking out you don't see you there, so. I hear you.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Tyra I- thank you-

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

I'm with you. I'm right there.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Thank you for that note of it and also three just thank you for also just re-asking that question in a different format because also maybe something that I was also maybe scared of acknowledging and but now I'm gonna acknowledge it is-

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yeah. Mulika Musyimi, MPH: Being the only black male in-

Tyra Parrish:

Yes.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Our program was hard, and-

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yes.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Yes while our community is resilient and yes has been minoritized in other spaces as well to where we take on the role of navigating or self-navigating because we have no choice, I feel like that was hard at Berkeley-

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yeah.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

To know that it was hard to realize that and go to your point like when you look around and you feel like no the reality is that you're the only one-

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yes, yeah.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

It's hard it's- it's hard and yes that adds to all the other things and all the other students are going through and it's, it's something that for me never felt like something I could say up until that maybe you and I started talking about it.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yeah.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

And you know, other students who felt comfortable and brave enough to talk about it because I think because we're so used to dealing with it and just putting it on the side-

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yeah.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

We do it and we shouldn't have to do it.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Right and I wanted, I want to add to that of like while our community is resilient, wouldn't it be nice if we can just be at peace like, because I applaud and I love how our communities have transcended and like really survived. But the fact that like, that like, it would just be nice for the things that are causing us to have to be resilient in all aspects of our life, I would love for that to disappear. So we can just exist and be people and like be ourselves and our full Blackness without the stress of like I need to be resilient in this moment because of XYZ reasons. It would, it would just be it'll be a little nice just to not be-

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Just a little.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Just a little nice. Just a little bit.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

A little bit. Thank you so much for that, all right.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yeah and I also, yeah and I honestly want to just really just, I'm very grateful to have met you, especially with us too, ride or die. But, yeah I really appreciate the space and the insights that you shared in class a lot of times because that was the voice that needed to be heard at that moment. And yeah and I and I hope that the classes after us there's not just only one, it's like shoot, like I pray for 15. A little bit. But yeah, I'm grateful to have met you. That's all I'm gonna say before I start boohoo crying on this podcast. Gonna be like girl, what is this? I took time to acknowledge Mulika because Mulika's presence, when I mean y'all the only one that was Mulika. And he held in commanded space in a very unique and beautiful way so that's Mulika. I'll move to next question before I boohoo cry, so the next question is. I'm gonna pick a little bit of a lighter one, what does representation and diversity in EHS and Global Health mean to you and the work that you plan to continue doing and or start doing?

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Ooh, Tyra.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

That's a lot. There's no right or wrong answer.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

It's a lot, but I will also tearfully begin by saying it was such an honor being in your presence in class and outside class. So thank you, thank you. Thank you for also being just the mouthpiece that many of us relied on sometimes either by default, so thank you for doing that. Diversity for me means many things.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yeah.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Because I feel like not just even the fact that I am of African roots and you know, I can use that to check a box. It's not that, it's that I have sat at the nexus of just so many meeting points where it's things that are outside of me, it's experiences that I've had that is diversity. And I feel that going back to Madhu Pai's talk which I feel like you cite in the beginning of the talk.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yeah.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Is, in as much as I am being exposed to these new learnings as a result of accomplishing a public health degree, is I never want to lose sight of why it is that we do the work that we do, because public health is public for a reason. Like we are there for communities, we are there as advocates in every facet or every space we found ourselves in. Be it in a lab, be it in front of a podium, you know be it in a classroom, be it in a podcast, like we are there to hopefully capture the sentiment and the experience of so many people who have gone before us, people who are continually suffering still and their voices their experiences are not highlighted. So for me that is what diversity is and I will pause there for now.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

I mean I agree. I actually have nothing to add, I think you encompassed that perfectly about just different ways to interpret diversity and sometimes I wish other people saw it that way where like diversity isn't just visual, right? It's like it's something a lot deeper than that and it's it could be diversity of people's callings and like what they what they feel like their life purpose is or what their purpose is when you go into public health. Like you said public health is meant to serve the people, and it's like the diversity and when someone says your people, what does that mean to you? That's diverse. Also like diversity of voices and like you said experiences. Representation goes beyond like, like I know we were mentioning earlier about visually, but representation is also like representation of like folks who align on certain ways or certain ways of being, or certain like things we're advocating for. That's representation because like if it's an echo chamber where it's like a whole bunch of Yes Men everybody yeah yeah then it's just kind of like what's going on here? But well, yeah, and we definitely need that more just in general in our environmental health spaces, as we talk about like even like our different like ethnicities of like representation in that sense because environmental health looks a lot different, like you shared in Kenya versus environmental health problems in Oakland. Two different things. Or like Global Health or Global Environmental Health, also very different so I think the way you talked about diversity is perfect, what you shared, that's basically a long-winded long-winded way, long winded answer of I totally agree with what you said.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

No really, I mean I think you have this beautiful way of like you know, making things sound so much more clearer and I really appreciate it-

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yours was- pause. Yours was clear. Yours was very clear.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Still-

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Let's not say it wasn't clear. Yours was very clear. Pause the tape. It was very clear.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Very clear. Taking that, taking that. But also too, to just give context to environmental health is more than physical.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yes.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Like you know, like you know? Like environmental health is so much more than what we can touch and feel and smell like it's all these other all these other things that affect our senses in so many other ways that sometimes are intangible.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yep.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

And hopefully giving voice to those experiences and those feelings and those harms, you know? Or highlights, because we always we also should be cognizant of the fact that if we're always speaking from like a disparity narrative, you know?

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Say it. Say it.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

You know? It is, it perpetuates these story lines and narratives that are completely incomplete because our communities are you know just as full of like knowledge-

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Right.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Knowledge assets that also need to be highlighted, so yes in as much as we are calling out the harms that do happen please also call out like also-

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Right. Right and I'm really glad you said that where it's like, where it's like yes things are happening but also like these are ways and very creative and innovative ways of which we are like adapting.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

And original. Some of these things are original.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Original. Right, no for real, yeah. And I also want to take time right now to highlight the ways in which me and Mulika are interpreting environment are very different than the way environmental health sits right now and I want to acknowledge that because me and Mulika both have talked about this and we went into EHS, we're like yeah environment is trees and soil and stuff but it's also this, and that's kind of where the divide in our field is as of right now. It's getting a little better, but there's more, I don't want to call it traditional but I'm going to have to traditional sense of environmental health which is what people think clean air, water, sanitation, hygiene, nature, soil all those good things and that's good. But there's also what Mulika was talking about which is the intangible, like yeah the intangible things like your social environment-

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Yes. Tyra Parrish, MPH: Your built environment. Yes.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Like stuff like how we were talking about imposter syndrome and that environment of being in a classroom setting and how that impacts your ability to learn or your health, you know? And what does health mean, like you can really spider web it out. And so I just want to take space to talk about how me and Mulika's interpretation of environment is very wide and broad and honestly it should be. So for folks who are listening or like, well EHS sounds boring trust me, built environment, very interesting stuff, social environment, everything is an environment, you cannot get out of environment. Workplace environment.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Yes.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

I can stop. I'll stop. But it's everywhere and it does impact your health and your ability to do whatever you want to do and I also want to talk about Mulika's point about not being communities in a deficit lens, because when you start viewing people through the lens of a deficit or like, like viewing them through like trying to pathologize-

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Yes.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

What's happening to them. You're not seeing that community in its full self and its full identity and you're not going to be able to do very impactful work if you're viewing people as kind of like a, through that lens. So I want to add some, Mulika already said it, I just added like a sprinkle. I just added a sprinkle.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

I should enroll in your class right now. Tyra please when when when are we starting this class of yours, please.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Oh Jesus. I would not be a good teacher. They would leave my class. Okay, next question. Could you describe, actually, are there any unique challenges that you face as a student, as an international student, just in general in your journey that you would like to highlight or maybe bring light to that maybe folks are not aware of.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

I feel like when I was a much newer international-

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yeah.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Because I also want to plug the fact that I have transitioned from international student to permanent resident.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Gotcha.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

To naturalized citizen.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Okay. Thank you for, my bad.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

No, no. You didn't know, you were not privy to that information so I just want to acknowledge that I was in international status for a long time so that is like the experience that I will speak to to this particular question is-

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Okay.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

I wish I wish more traditional students brought in international students into their fold.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

I see.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Because I think that is the way to get a perspective that is so different and so unique and yes, we may struggle with a few words when we read sentences, we may have just our own lenses that we're coming in with that don't quite mesh, you know, automatically with the US view. So give us some patience and some time but I wish more spaces or more classrooms allowed for a little bit of that. Two, the ability to be able to afford school, just we did not have as many opportunities to tap into funding opportunities without compromising the Visa status that we were on.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Right.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

So it's just one conversation that I feel that I wish could have left the international office. Like I just wish more of just traditional students just knew how much harder it was.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yeah.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

To to finance our education, three-

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yeah.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Public Health needs to be a stem degree, because if we knew, if we knew that from the get-go and just how crucial that is sometimes to advocating for ourselves and getting visas to going to schools that give us stem degrees, because as the, as the narrative goes is that stem degrees are the future. It would be a lot more easier to just like cut through the fluff and actually just you know, know that the degrees that we're pursuing are just stem degrees from the get-go and I just wish that was communicated a little bit more better in school settings, so.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

You know what, I'm glad you said that because one of- the interesting thing is that public health is not stem but concentrations or specific programs that would fit under Public Health can and have been classified as stem in other universities like epidemiology is a stem program.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Wow.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Not as-well only one program, only one epi program- the one year epi program is stem at Berkeley. But the two-year is not as of right now, which is a whole other thing but for folks who don't know why stem is very important also for international students. It's the difference between getting a one-year work visa and a three-year work visa and the problem is that a lot of jobs or workplaces here are not, most of them are not willing to hire a one-year like, a student or a graduate who has a one-year work visa versus a three year. So it makes it incredibly hard not only for them to get jobs in school and then post school. So that's why the stem program is super important for your international students, but also if it doesn't impact you most people don't know. And I only know because another student at UC Berkeley, her name is Melie, hey Melie. Melie, you know her too, yeah. She took the time to educate me and others about why it was so important. And so shout out to her and the work that she's doing and will continue doing, but yes thank you so much for sharing that insight because it's very important. Yeah, okay.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Thanks for asking the question Tyra.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Huh?

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Thank you for asking that particular question.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Oh, yeah. And thank you so much for sharing just, its, its yeah. It's just not okay. I have a lot of thoughts on how institutions can be better, but I'm gonna save that for something else. Okay last question in the tea time, could you describe a moment or experience that made you particularly aware of cultural differences in academia and outside academia.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Ooh, wow.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

I feel like that's a heavy question.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

That is huge. Question that could go many ways, but-

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yeah.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

This is one thing I think I will say based on my experience is the fact that I've had the privilege of having a U.S education at good schools does not qualify me as a forever expert. So I feel that my, my, the question that I ask myself, well I try to interrogate myself every single time I get into a space is am I listening? Like am I listening? Like am I listening? Because I, my biggest fear is leading with the fact that I am educated and then brandishing my accomplishments just because I have had this exposure to academia and that is my speak, I can speak that comfortably and that's my biggest concern and my biggest check. So I'm probably not even answering your question but-

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

No you answered it.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

That stands out for me as far as-

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yeah.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Innate difference that I never want to lose sight of because I feel like there's so much learning and and wisdom that resides outside academia also.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yes.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

And I think it would, it would it is imperative on us to be cognizant of that and cultivate those knowledge basis into our experience

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yes.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Our reservoir and our pots and our wells and I am done.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

What I'm hearing in what you said which is having like always being in a space of like being humble and just having humility and I think that that is so crucial, like in our, in our earlier conversation about being a double agent where it's like am I listening? Because a lot of these folks be hearing, but not listening like the I hear you, no I want you to listen to me. Like I don't, and you know and I think what, what you're saying is that in every space, you kind of check yourself of like how can I be in a space of learning and growth even if quote unquote, I may have the degrees that might say I'm the merit-wise, I may be viewed-

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Yes.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

As the most qualified, but really, always being in a space of learning, because you can always learn from somebody any age, any demographic, you can always learn and I think that that is something that a lot of high-level institutions, you kind of see that, whatever light switch flicked off. Like they think because I go to XYZ school, I worked at XYZ place for 10 plus years, I know more than you. And it's just like I, I actually don't believe that. But I do acknowledge that I definitely used to be that way and it wasn't until literally my uncle, I'll give my uncle a shout out, he one time told me he was like, oh so you think because you have this you know more than people, you know? And I was just kind of like oh. And he was like, it was a, it was a side note argument with my sister and he was like you think because you're older than her you know more and that's not always the case. And I was just like oh, and it was just like a very gentle redirect but that's translated into everything and so I really love how you were just talking about being humble in all spaces even though age is very different from this, but it's the same message of like remaining humble and you don't know who you can learn from and who it's gonna come from.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Yes.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Right.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Your uncle.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Shout out to my uncle man, he is, he's a funny guy. I think I'll share for me and I'm sharing this, because it specifically relates to you Mulika, I don't even know if you do it, but when I first met Mulika he, Mulika, any person he talks to it doesn't matter if you were talking five minutes ago, he always leads with a greeting. He always says hi insert whoever's name, and it's something very small but I think that that intention of acknowledging someone first before speaking or asking or how their day is you're always kind of like hey Tyra, duhduhduhduhduh, and it's something you do all the time never failed, and I think that for me not that that was a negative but it was just like a you know what? Like I should be greeting people I shouldn't just be walking up to them talking about hey, duhduhduhduh. That's a lot but I think that acknowledgment is something that's very small but that was the first thing I noticed about Mulika. And so that was something cultural that I realized that I don't do. But it's definitely something I incorporate now, where before I talk to anyone I'm always like hey, like hey something. Hey duhduhduh. And yeah so that's something I actually learned from you that I don't know if you knew, but I picked up on it and I've incorporated it into my life, so yeah. Thank you.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

What words. I cannot respond, but thank you.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

And yeah. It's, I yeah that's something I picked up and I will never let it go, but it's it's very subtle of acknowledging someone, hi, hi. And then you know speaking to them, so. All righty, so.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Thank you so much Tyra.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Aww. Love you Mulika. So, we are sadly coming to a close to this amazing conversation and so I want to thank Mulika for being here, for sharing his experience, just in academia and outside and the work that he's doing, and also want to thank folks for listening in. And so I want to end with some questions about self-care and any closing thoughts or advice you may have for folks who are listening. So, first question is how do you stay grounded with your community?

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Tyra you ask some big questions.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

I know. Need to lowball, like what's your favorite color?

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

I will try to do it honor, so I belong to various communities.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yes.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

So obviously, how I deal with them is a bit different, but some of the things that I do that stand out for me are I love voice notes, and voice memos.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yes.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

More like obsessed, so.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yeah.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

And I feel, no, most of the time when people text me I respond with a voice note because there's something so personal and it's like a voicemail but not, and sometimes you can ad-lib, not correct a mistake, and just kind of roll into it and you the beauty of it, you actually get to save it, and keep it, and listen to it again. So I I feel like it's a habit that I that I picked up through covid, two I enjoy I enjoy like getting on like we used to have, again these are all covid habits because let's the world changed. So just having scheduled talks with just like certain people in my life and those moments for me have been enriching particularly like if they, if they're not just like moments of just like good things that are happening, just getting to know like how your people are doing at whatever stage they are in life and yes, some of those moments are not regular. I'm not saying that I do this regularly, no, but when those moments do happen I cherish them and they help catapult me to the next moment. Yeah, recently I heard someone like say they write letters every weekend, like actual physical letters. I'm not there yet.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Oh, okay.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

It is a goal, maybe one person a weekend, it is a goal. I'm not.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Oh cool, okay.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Okay?

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

No like the letter thing threw me, like oh that's really cool.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

I know. And this is like tech.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Oh I know that person when they received that letter feel really special because that's amazing.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Not there yet though.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yeah not there yet.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Our audiences, I am crawling.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Okay, Im gonna a- actually I'm gonna ask the next, so, can you share a personal story or experience where self-care played a pivotal role in a major life decision or a transition?

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Ooh, where self care-

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

If not, I do have a backup that's a lot easier that-

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

What's the back up? I'm curious.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

The backup one is, what are some daily or weekly self-care routines? We can do that one.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Let's do that one.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Let's do that one. Let's do that one.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Let's do that one. Tyra Parrish, MPH: Let's do that one. I picked this actually from Trevor-

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Oh cool.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

My mentor from UCSB. So he says that where he sits, like his work station, he has letters and essays for the things that he got admitted to. So like let's say like his statement of purpose, you know ,when he got admitted to his PhD program or like a certain fellowship, and also just things that he didn't succeed in, like things he failed in so he has this like wall of like just pieces that you know people have either recognized him for, like little notes. And I've actually replicated that for myself at home.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Oh.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

And I look at it, and I this is where I do my work this is where like I, I like to sit underneath all these clippings, partly just to remind me of just the journey. And one of them is like my admission to Berkeley Public Health, like I have that letter just, I just like to look at like the statement of purpose like what did I actually say for them to actually admit me.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yeah.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

And sometimes I read parts of it, sometimes I read the whole of it.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yeah.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

It before I have to go speak, you know? And I also read things that I accepted to just because these things fuel my drive, my ambition, and my fire.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yeah.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Because we're all the sum of like all the good things and the bad things that happened to us and I try, I try to be as authentic as possible like in my storytelling, so I bring these things with me so that's one thing I do. Two, I enjoy being fit, so just like having that spare hour-

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Yeah.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Every day just to like run, walk, lift, something, helps me.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Right.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

So and I eat at home. So like I think the benefit of growing up in a single parent home was learning how to cook early and my cooking obviously does not compare to my mom and my aunties, but I cook and I eat and I enjoy it and I self-care and self-love that way, so.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Ooh, well thank you Mulika, for just sharing a part of you and your journey, yeah and I want to thank, I want to thank folks for listening and hopefully you got picked up one of Mulika's many gems. And yeah, thank you so much Mulika. Stay tuned for our next episode.

Mulika Musyimi, MPH:

Thank you so much Tyra for being so kind and gracious and for holding space for me and so many other people that came before me. You are the best.

Tyra Parrish, MPH:

Thank you. All right, see y'all soon, bye.