Ashlyn Hosti

Ashlyn Hosti

  • Hometown: Savannah, Ga
  • Mentor/advisor: Dr. Jessica Lynn Stewart, MPH, PhD
  • Internship:  I did an internship in the summer of 2022 with the Department of Population Health Sciences. Through AU's partnership with McCorkle Nurseries Inc., I collaborated with the preceptor, Dr. Jessica Stewart, on the design and execution of the AU-MNI Rural Health Fair, as well as generated health-related content for the fair, such as skin cancer basic information and safety, workplace hazards and safety, and physical activity and nutrition information, on my own.
  • Why did you choose your degree program? First and foremost, I chose the public health degree program because I am passionate about overall health, and this program provides a solid foundation in various issues affecting population health and healthcare systems, such as environmental health, disease prevention, behavioral and cultural issues, and many others. By learning about these critical issues, I will be able to keep people healthy and safe on a local and global scale, for example, by promoting healthy lifestyles.
  • What is the best advice you have learned from your mentor? Throughout my college career, I've received a lot of advice from mentors, advisors, and other people. However, one of the best pieces of advice I've ever received came from Dr. Jessica Stewart. She told me to never underestimate the talents and abilities that are unique to me. Rather I should to acknowledge and applaud myself because, first and foremost, as women, we live in a culture where we tend to think that the things we're doing are average at best, and secondly, despite my youth and lack of experience compared to the majority of the others in my cohort, I am driven and determined.
  • What have you found most beneficial about your program at AU? While there is a predetermined calendar for when assignments and so on are due for each class, the most advantageous aspect of this program because it is primarily online, is the flexibility of completing program course work online. Given that I have a lot of other things in my life that require time and attention, such as my employment, the online program allows me to be flexible with my schedule.
  • Please share words of advice for someone considering this program at AU? This is a highly rewarding curriculum, and I believe that at this point in the program, I have gained a great deal of essential knowledge and abilities for promoting not only public health but also individual health in today's ever-changing environment. 
  • Have you been involved in any other AU organizations or activities?   Yes, at Augusta University, I am currently involved in the Every Nation Club (ENC) campus ministry and the Augusta Chapter of the Phi Kappa Phi - National Honor Society. The Office of Student Life and Engagement has been helpful in leading hundreds of student organizations on campus. 
  • What have been some of your most rewarding moments while in your program? My internship provided me with some of the most rewarding experiences, as I was able to play a vital role in educating and informing a large number of individuals in the rural community of Dearing, Georgia. This experience gave me a look into the health care needs that rural areas in Georgia lack, and I believe that by participating, I will be able to provide greater service to others in the long term.
  • What are your future goals? My overarching objective is to safeguard and enhance the health of individuals and the communities in which they reside, which can be accomplished over time by encouraging healthy lifestyles, researching disease and injury prevention, and identifying, preventing, and managing infectious diseases.

  • What courses in your program curriculum stand out as most helpful for your specific career goals? Ethical conduct and legal and ethical issues for healthcare professionals are the courses that stand out to me as being the most beneficial for my specific career goals. These courses are very beneficial to me because my career goal is to help groups of people by teaching or developing educational programs to promote healthy habits and environments. These courses, such as the ones I mentioned, are very beneficial because they help educate you how to evaluate and distinguish between the rightness and wrongness of different avenues of action when faced with difficult problems to solve, how to conduct yourself professionally, and so on.
  • What do you do for fun (hobbies etc)? In my spare time, I enjoy creating and designing projects, being physically active, traveling, and trying new foods.

Former Student

Wesley Black

“In large part because of the flexibility of completing the program course work online. The online classes allow me to be flexible with my schedule since I am a Health Inspector for the Georgia Department of Public Health. I truthfully don't know how I would manage it all if it wasn't online. All in all, it's a well-designed program and I take my hat off to AU for offering it." 

Wesley Black >>