By Erin Jester
University of Florida Master of Public Health students Jakob Meredith and Santiago Ojeda Sainz have been selected as This is Public Health student ambassadors for the 2025-2026 academic year by the Association of Schools and Programs in Public Health.
Meredith and Ojeda Sainz are among 71 graduate students from 47 ASPPH member schools tasked with elevating public health through activities such as This is Public Health social media takeovers, virtual events, developing projects and presentations that bolster interest in public health education and careers, and more.
The TIPH program highlights exceptional graduate students and their experiences to strengthen connections with prospective students and inspire the next generation of public health leaders.
Meredith, an Orlando native, is a second-year M.P.H. student with a concentration in Environmental and Global Health.
He said his goals as a TIPH ambassador are to learn more about how public health students at other institutions approach the field and use interdisciplinary collaboration to achieve positive public health outcomes, as well as enhancing his understanding of environmental health outcomes and gaining experience with monitoring water-borne and vector-borne diseases.
“Being a TIPH ambassador is a tremendous honor,” Meredith said. “I look forward to doing my best at every opportunity to make my UF family proud.”
Ojeda Sainz, from Guadalajara, Mexico, is a second-year M.P.H. student with a concentration in Social and Behavioral Sciences. He hopes to promote helmet use and general road safety by developing a campus-wide awareness campaign aimed at students who commute to class on motorcycles, mopeds, e-bikes, e-scooters and skateboards.
“To me, being a TIPH ambassador means simultaneously serving our student body in promoting public health on campus and responsibly representing UF, especially the College of Public Health and Health Professions, at a national level,” he said. “This means my priorities lie in highlighting public health issues, research and initiatives that matter most to us here in the greater Gainesville area while expanding PHHP’s bandwidth and outreach by sharing the work Gators are doing to make our community a better place.”
To keep up with this year’s This is Public Health student ambassadors, follow the This is Public Health accounts on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.