This summer season, four students will be heading to the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health as part of the Pitt Public Health Undergraduate Scholars Program. For eight weeks they will have the opportunity to take part in classroom-based and experiential learning experiences, including public health-based work at a community internship site in or near Pittsburgh.
The opportunity comes after the four students were named 2026 Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) John R. Lewis Undergraduate Public Health Scholars (Lewis Scholars). This prestigious national scholarship is awarded to undergraduate and recently graduated students with an interest in public health, health equity or minority health.
Sophomores Manahel Fatima (Biology), Ellison Morgan (Health Administration and Public Health), and Redentor Perez (Public Health), alongside junior Giliane Yza Muyna (Public Health), were selected for the scholarship. Fatima, Morgan and Yza Muyna are members of the Honors College.
The John R. Lewis Undergraduate Public Health Scholars program introduces undergraduate students to minority health and health equity while offering professional development opportunities through the CDC’s Office for Minority Health. In partnership with several universities, like the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, the program provides academic enrichment, experiential learning, mentorship, and career counseling to prepare students for public health careers.
The scholars will receive a $3,400 stipend, financial support for meals, and have their on-campus housing and round-trip transportation to Pittsburgh fully covered. In addition, the scholars will have the opportunity to attend the 2026 American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting, held later this year in San Antonio.
Perez’s internship will be through Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in Allegheny County as part of its Farmers Market initiative. He will travel to different farmers’ markets throughout the Pittsburgh area and learn more about nutrition access, education and care related to maternal health. Perez plans to use his training at UT San Antonio and in Pittsburgh to help reduce health disparities, especially as they pertain to mental health literacy.
“I am very interested in Hispanic and Latino health near the south Texas border,” Perez said. “I am from Laredo, so growing up I was heavily exposed to the health disparities that persist amongst our population. It is because of this that I am very interested in the social and structural determinants of health and how they contribute to health disparities on the border.”
Hosanna House, where Fatima will be interning this summer, is a world-class, award-winning community center that offers high-quality care and early education services to children from toddler age through high school.
As a biology major on the pre-med track, Fatima hopes to pursue an MD/MPH in the future to serve her interest in community-based health programs, exploring the intersection between public health and medicine.
She previously interned at the Center for Refugee Services San Antonio through UT San Antonio Citymester, an Honors College program where students participate in a summer of engaged learning outside the classroom.
Yza Muyna will intern with Reducing Outdoor Contaminants in Indoor Spaces, where she will focus on analyzing public discussions to identify misconceptions and misinformation about air quality, environmental health and climate-related risks. She will also support the development of effective communication strategies that help audiences make informed decisions and adopt protective behaviors. Yza Muyna brings a wealth of research experience to the program through projects with the university’s Mobile Health Lab, Data Analytics Lab, and an internship at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
“My area of interest in public health is the intersection of spatial analytics, environmental health and program evaluation for public health interventions,” said Yza Muyna. “As a first-generation student, I began my research journey through the UT San Antonio Bridge Program, where I was introduced to research, sociology and demography. My experiences have led me to discover a passion for using data-driven approaches to improve environmental health and population well-being.”
Morgan will be working at Oasis Farm, an urban farm and community-centered hub in Pittsburgh’s historic Homewood neighborhood, dedicated to fostering food access, sustainable agriculture and deep connections. Morgan will be educating middle and high schoolers about the importance of nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. At UT San Antonio, Morgan is engaged in a variety of activities, including the UT San Antonio Ambassadors and the Honors College Student Advisory Board. This year, he received the Millennium Fellowship, a semester-long leadership development program where students come together around an initiative tied to social impact work. He’s also the founder and president of Poetry with Purpose, a local non-profit that organizes events in San Antonio to benefit local non-profits.
“My research focuses on San Antonio-based health disparities, so I am interested in learning about the disparities of a different community and how Oasis Farm focuses its efforts to help solve them,” said Morgan.
Since its founding in 2011, the Lewis Scholars Program has accepted approximately 1,600 students from more than 35,000 applicants (5% acceptance rate).
To prepare students for this year’s application cycle, the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards hosted a panel with public health alumni and Lewis Scholars Marie Delgado ’24, Anita Enoma ’26 and Sudais Imtiaz ’26.
They shared insights on the application process, interviews and internships, while prospective scholars had the opportunity to ask questions and learn how the program supports careers in public health.
“We are so grateful that our alumni can share their experiences, so that our current students can follow in their footsteps,” said Andrew Chapman, assistant dean in the Honors College and director of the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards. “Applying to awards like the Lewis Scholars might seem daunting but interacting with students and alumni who come from similar backgrounds show that we have a great record of success and that they should go for it.”
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Four students head to Pittsburgh to learn key professional skills as John R. Lewis Undergraduate Public Health Scholars – UT San Antonio Today
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