Meet the SOPH Interns
If you’ve been up on the 9th floor lately, you may have seen these new faces at the front desk. Makayla, Sydney and Ahmed have joined the team as interns for the Dean’s Office. Get to know them below and be sure to say ‘hi’ the next time you see them.
Makayla Coles
Graduate Intern, School of Public Health
First year M.Ed. student
Hometown: Richmond, VA
Makayla will spend the semester working with Katherine Peterman, MPH Education Administrator, to help with prospective student information sessions, student seminars, and planning activities that contribute to the SOPH community.
While this is Makayla’s first time working in a higher education setting, she has experience in elementary education and social work. She sees this role as an opportunity to get to know various career options in the field. She’s looking forward to working with graduate peers and experiencing the inner workings of what it takes to make a program run efficiently.
When she’s not working or doing classwork, Makayla is an avid Grey’s Anatomy fan (she’s watched it at least eight times!) and loves a good Disney movie, of course.
Words she lives by:
Never let success go to your head, never let failure get to your heart.”
Beyonce Giselle Knowles-Carter
Sydney Yeadon
Graduate Intern, School of Public Health
Senior psychology major
Hometown: Richmond, Virginia
Sydney is also working with Katherine in education administration. She’s currently planning to table an event on the Monroe Park Campus to talk with undergraduate students who are interested in the MPH program.
When she’s not at SOPH or in class, Sydney works as a substitute teacher for Chesterfield County Schools in grades K-12. Working as a substitute has taught Sydney how much she loves teaching. She will be graduating from VCU in Summer 2025 with her bachelor’s and plans to get her PhD in developmental psychology, too. With this, Sydney aims to be a psychology professor.
In her free time, Sydney likes to read fantasy novels, make quilts and clothing, and spend time around horses.
Wish her well: Sydney is getting married to her high school sweetheart, Jacob, in October!
Ahmed Abbas
Strategy & Operations Intern, School of Public Health
Sophomore psychology major
Hometown: Springfield, VA
In his role at SOPH, Ahmed works with Brooke Nissim-Sabat to get the School fully accredited. He collects data for all classes, faculty, and staff to ensure we have the required documentation. He hopes to learn more about studying and working in public health while developing his teamwork and communication skills.
Ahmed was interested in working at SOPH after participating in the Public Health Student Association during National Public Health Week. “I found that SOPH has a unique approach in tackling the issues many citizens face and is not afraid to be bold,” he said.
When Ahmed’s not working, he loves playing guitar. He enjoys biking, longboarding and video games (currently he’s playing Stardew Valley.) Ask him about his yo-yo tricks!
Words he lives by:
Categories NewsIf anything is worth doing, do it with all your heart.”
Buddha