Graduate Spotlight: Melina Peña Anaya

Melina Peña Anaya pursued a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Health Management and Policy with a deep commitment to improving the lives of underserved communities and creating systemic change through public health policy and advocacy. Throughout her academic journey, Melina remained grounded in the belief that healthcare, housing, education, and economic stability should be accessible to everyone.

Most of Melina’s professional and volunteer experiences have centered around nonprofit work, where she has collaborated with organizations focused on supporting communities facing systemic inequities. Those experiences reinforced her passion for addressing barriers to healthcare access and advancing policies that improve community wellbeing.

“In an ideal world, we wouldn’t need nonprofits to close healthcare access, education, and housing gaps because the government and societal infrastructures would be uplifting and closing gaps for all communities and that’s something we should all strive for,” Melina said.

As the daughter of immigrants, Melina’s graduate school experience has also been shaped by the realities impacting immigrant communities across the country. Over the last year, she has witnessed an increase in targeted attacks and violence against immigrant communities, experiences that brought fear and uncertainty into both her personal life and academic journey.

“As a daughter of immigrants, the consistent kidnappings and violence used against my community has brought so much personal fear,” she said. “It has impacted my participation in school activities.”

Despite those challenges, Melina found hope and inspiration in the resilience and solidarity of her community. She shared that watching people come together to support one another and create local change reminded her of the power of collective action and community care.

“Although these attacks have not stopped, it has been beautiful to see the community coming together and collaborating to make local changes,” she said.

Throughout the MPH program, Melina found inspiration in her classmates and peers within the Health Systems and Management Policy cohort. She appreciated learning alongside students from diverse backgrounds who shared a common goal of creating meaningful systems-level change.

“We all come from different lived experiences, and we are all doing our best to make changes that will positively impact our communities,” she said.

As a first-generation student, Melina credits her family and friends as the foundation of her success throughout graduate school. Their encouragement and support helped her navigate spaces that can often feel isolating for first-generation students entering higher education and professional environments.

“Navigating these spaces can be isolating,” she said. “My family is one of the reasons I have been privileged enough to learn, create, and collaborate with public health professionals.”

Melina also highlighted Dr. Kelly Coates as an important mentor during her time at the School of Public Health, describing her as a key source of support and guidance throughout the program.

Looking ahead, Melina hopes to continue advancing policies that strengthen healthcare access and improve quality of life for underserved communities across Oregon. In particular, she is passionate about the possibility of universal healthcare and hopes to contribute to making Oregon a leader in equitable healthcare access.

“I hope to help Oregon become one of the first states to implement universal healthcare,” Melina said, “and to help highlight the important impact public health has on everyone’s wellbeing and healthy living.”