Shania Thomas is an MPP candidate at the Heller School concentrating in Health Policy. She is from Manalapan, New Jersey, and a recent graduate from Brandeis, Class of 2021, with majors in Politics and Health: Science, Society and Policy (HSSP). Shania values true diversity of experience, identity, and background, and has a passion for uplifting the voices and perspectives of those around her. A former Roosevelt Fellow herself, Shania works as a graduate assistant for the Brandeis Roosevelt Fellow peer advising program. As a Health Career Connections intern, she completed an internship with Mathematica Policy Research on their Social Determinants of Health team, where she co-authored an internal presentation on the impacts of climate change on health and did research on the integration of birthing doulas into existing maternal medical facilities. She has also worked with the Johns Hopkins Hospital WIC clinics on program innovation and evaluation. As an advocate, Shania was an Organizing Lead for the Every Voice Coalition and has successfully advocated for sexual violence prevention legislation in the Massachusetts State House. Shania has always been one to wear many hats. She is a part-time caregiver for her grandmother, she is a full-time working student, and a mentor for high school and undergraduate students. Drawing from her studies and personal experiences, this summer, Shania is excited to work toward creating more human-centered policies that positively affect or even ameliorate the impact of unmet health-related social needs in the aging population.