Outstanding Student Leader
Jeff Wong
Bloomberg School of Public Health
Congratulations to our Outstanding Student Leader for October 2025, Jeff Wong from the Bloomberg School of Public Health!
As a SOURCE Service Scholar, Jeff is making an impact this year through his collaboration with our amazing partners at B'More for Healthy Babies to improve behavioral health treatment facilities in our city. Read our interview with Jeff below to learn more about his work and experience with service-learning!
Tell us about yourself! What brought you to BSPH, and what made you want to get involved with the SOURCE Service Scholars program?
Hi! My name is Jeff, and I come from a clinical mental health counseling background. I came to BSPH to study under the Department of Mental Health, intending to gain a deeper understanding of the public health aspects of the mental health system and explore strategies to promote systemic change through mental health initiatives.
I knew I had to get involved with the SOURCE Service Scholars (SSS) program the moment I learned about the program, as SSS offered a unique opportunity to be fully immersed in a service learning project within the Baltimore community. Social justice and multiculturalism have always been the cornerstone of my identity and my work, and I wish to learn and develop myself further under the mentorship of service-learning with SSS.
Can you share a little bit about the work you are doing with B'More for Healthy Babies?
Currently, I have the privilege of collaborating with B'More for Healthy Babies (BHB). BHB is an initiative launched by the Baltimore City Health Department, with valuable support from the Family League of Baltimore and HealthCare Access Maryland. Its goal is to bring together communities, organizations, and resources to help ensure that every baby receives the best possible start in life. In partnership, we are working on a pilot project to create dyad-friendly spaces at behavioral health treatment facilities in Baltimore City, with the aim of supporting parental well-being and promoting positive infant health outcomes.
How does your service-learning and working with our community complement what you’re learning in the classroom at BSPH?
Service-learning and working with the local community not only complement the lessons that are being taught in the classroom at BSPH, it contextualizes them. Frameworks and models serve as helpful tools to understand the human condition; however, it is through authentic human connections and service-learning that one can truly experience it in its fullness.
"While it may be tempting to adopt a mindset focused on treatment and resolution, this approach can unintentionally silence the voices of those we aim to support. It risks overlooking the deeper, systemic concerns and may even reinforce learned hopelessness. What I’ve come to understand is that our strongest tool as humans is collaboration, not just as a strategy, but as a principle of respect, shared power, and co-creation."
What is the most important experience you’ve had or most critical thing you’ve learned so far through working with our community?
The most valuable lesson I’ve gained from working with the community is that people are not simply problems to be solved. While it may be tempting to adopt a mindset focused on treatment and resolution, this approach can unintentionally silence the voices of those we aim to support. It risks overlooking the deeper, systemic concerns and may even reinforce learned hopelessness. What I’ve come to understand is that our strongest tool as humans is collaboration, not just as a strategy, but as a principle of respect, shared power, and co-creation.
What advice do you have for other students who might be considering a service-learning course or who want to volunteer in Baltimore?
My recommendation to fellow students who may be contemplating a service-learning course or volunteer service in Baltimore is to value the importance of listening. It is a genuine privilege to have the opportunity to hear stories from the Baltimore community, which is characterized by resilience, perseverance, and, above all, hope.
I hope that by further exploring our understanding of the human condition within our local community, you might discover new opportunities to reconnect with or reconsider the passion that originally inspired your work. In doing so, I wish for you to find a renewed sense of purpose in the positive change you hope to bring about, and to gently hold the belief that a better world is not only within reach but is gradually unfolding through our collective efforts.