Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Health & Society
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Health & Society

Falk Student Nicole Petersen Completes Public Health Internship in South Africa

Monday, July 18, 2022, By Matt Michael
Share
Falk College of Sport and Human DynamicsSyracuse Abroad
Nicole Petersen, Falk

During one of her morning walks through Marloth Park in South Africa, Nicole Petersen walked past a giraffe that was using the trees as camouflage. Look closely and you’ll spot the giraffe’s long legs in the trees to the left of Petersen.

Nicole Petersen ’23, of Loudonville, New York, always wanted to pursue a career in medicine. When she discovered the public health major at the Falk College, she decided it would be the perfect opportunity to see healthcare from a different perspective.

Here Petersen talks more about her time at Syracuse University and an unforgettable experience in South Africa:

Favorite class (so far): Human Health and Disease (Professor Lisa Olson-Gugerty).

The Orange Experience: In my time at Syracuse, I’ve involved myself in various groups with some of my best memories involving Phi Sigma Sigma and Syracuse University Ambulance.

The Future: I hope to attend further schooling to get my master’s in public health and become a physician assistant.

Studying in South Africa

Table Mountain, South Africa

A view from the top of Table Mountain in Cape Town, overlooking Camps Bay

As part of Syracuse Abroad, Petersen spent the 2022 spring semester in South Africa with the SIT (School for International Training) South Africa program. Here are Petersen’s thoughts on her abroad experience:

“The majority of my time was spent on the eastern coast in the city of Durban, but I also had the opportunity to spend time in Johannesburg, Nzinga, Cape Town and the Kruger National Park, to name a few. This program, SIT South Africa: Community Health and Social Policy, focused on health at the community level in South Africa and it’s the reason that I now want to pursue a master’s in public health.

“With the high prevalence of HIV and tuberculosis that spans nationwide, I got to see firsthand the public health initiatives that are being implemented and working. I also had the opportunity to complete my public health internship at a state-run hospital, where I worked with low-income families and saw the work that is done in the public hospital system, which was an unbelievable experience.

Elephants, South Africa

A mother and baby elephant roaming the bush of Kruger National Park

“I will always be able to hold onto the memories I made in South Africa, such as living with my amazing host family in Durban and seeing lions, leopards, and elephants up close in the wild.”

Completing the Internship Requirement Abroad

Public health students may elect to complete the internship requirement while studying abroad. For more information, visit Syracuse Abroad: SIT Kenya – Global Health and Human Rights, SIT South Africa – Community Health and Social Policy, and SIT India – Public Health, Gender, and Community Action.

  • Author

Matt Michael

  • Recent
  • Syracuse University Libraries’ Information Literacy Scholars Produce Information Literacy Collab Journal
    Thursday, May 29, 2025, By Cristina Hatem
  • Syracuse Pride on Display: Limited-Edition Poster Supports Future Generations
    Thursday, May 29, 2025, By News Staff
  • Timur Hammond’s ‘Placing Islam’ Receives Journal’s Honorable Mention
    Tuesday, May 27, 2025, By News Staff
  • Syracuse University, Lockerbie Academy Reimagine Partnership, Strengthen Bond
    Friday, May 23, 2025, By News Staff
  • Expert Available to Discuss DOD Acceptance of Qatari Jet
    Thursday, May 22, 2025, By Vanessa Marquette

More In Health & Society

Timur Hammond’s ‘Placing Islam’ Receives Journal’s Honorable Mention

A book authored by Timur Hammond, associate professor of geography and the environment in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, received an honorable mention in the 2025 International Journal of Islamic Architecture (IJIA) Book Award competition. The awards…

Snapshots From Route 66: One Student’s Journey to Newhouse LA

“If you ever plan to travel west, travel my way, take the highway that’s the best.” It’s been nearly 80 years since Nat King Cole uttered the now famous lyrics, “Get your kicks on Route 66,” but still to this…

Studying and Reversing the Damaging Effects of Pollution and Acid Rain With Charles Driscoll (Podcast)

Before Charles Driscoll came to Syracuse University as a civil and environmental engineering professor, he had always been interested in ways to protect our environment and natural resources. Growing up an avid camper and outdoors enthusiast, Driscoll set about studying…

Major League Soccer’s Meteoric Rise: From Underdog to Global Contender

With the 30th anniversary of Major League Soccer (MLS) fast approaching, it’s obvious MLS has come a long way from its modest beginning in 1996. Once considered an underdog in the American sports landscape, the league has grown into a…

Rebekah Lewis Named Director of Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health

The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs is pleased to announce that Rebekah Lewis is the new director of the Maxwell-based Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health. She joined the Maxwell School as a faculty fellow…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.