Meet Constance L. Jones, MSA in Administration, BS in Organizational Management

Title and Name of Business: She Prays and Believes Enterprises and The Widow’s Promise

Location: Prince George’s County, MD

Tell us how you entered the field of public health and what your education and work experience was prior to consulting and/or entrepreneurial endeavor.

You know I never saw myself as being a part of the public health arena until a very special person named LaTonya Bynum introduced the fact that public health encompasses more than I initially realized.

I’ve always been connected to public health, in a sense, with my work in the faith community, hospital administration, and public education.  I have worked and served in my community for most of my life so I guess it’s no wonder that my entrepreneurial endeavors also touch the community as well

When did you start consulting/business and what were your motivations for pursuing self-employment?

I started my first organization in 2021 and the second one in 2023.  They both came about based on something I felt passionate about and purposed to do.  Some call it a social entrepreneur. It is such a wonderful opportunity and liberty that we have to take the work that we’re passionate about and feel purposed in and build an organization around it.  I often like to say that I get to do this work.  Meaningful work that impacts the lives of others.

Who is your ideal client? What services do you offer?

My lane is inspiration and empowerment as well as providing resources and information.  My primary audience has been women. I would love to partner with others as a consultant or coach to provide needed insight, strategies on publishing their own books, navigating business ownership and helping widows find a new normal.

What is your favorite type of project to work on and why?

I’m really excited about the work I get to do to help the widow community! Unfortunately, it came about as a result of my own personal tragedy of losing my husband. The work has afforded me the opportunity to help others and it has been therapeutic for me in the process.  The Widow’s Promise mission is to provide encouragement, resources, and support and to advocate for widows everywhere.  Our motto is, There is Hope, There is Peace, There will be Joy!  The Widow’s Promise was launched in 2023 and is a 501 c 3 non-profit organization.  One of the main initiatives so far has been providing comfort boxes to widows.    These specially curated boxes let widows know they’re loved, seen, and not alone.

Many of our readers are considering a career as a self-employed public health consultant or entrepreneur. What is your best piece of advice for those considering or just starting out?

It may sound cliché, but, Just Do It, is my advice. Take a risk on yourself.  I was reflecting one day on all the outside things I’ve supported over the years…in time, money, and resources… the jobs, the people and it was like an “aha” moment.  If I can take risks on other people and things why not myself?  I want to give this my all and know that I showed up for me and that I am worth the investment, what I’m doing has value.  I didn’t want to get down the road of life and never take the risk of launching out into something new or taking a chance on my dreams.

How can readers connect with you? Please share links to relevant websites and social media accounts:

Constance Leah Jones

www.constanceleahjones.com

www.shepraysandbelieves.com

www.thewidowspromise.org

https://linktr.ee/shepraysandbelieves

Marquita Davis, M.P.H is the founder/owner of “The Black Patient Experience” social advocacy page.  A dynamic healthcare strategist and innovator, Marquita serves as an Enterprise Director of Programs & Initiatives for the Office of Health Equity & inclusion at the world’s leading healthcare organization.  With over 20 years of healthcare operations experience, Marquita uses her well-rounded perspective on the challenges and opportunities in healthcare to advise on strategies to bridge the gaps in organizational workflows, infrastructure and communication to help improve patient health outcomes.

I had the honor to meet with Latonya Bynum who is the Founder/Owner of URA Resource Center.  URA Resource center (established in 2017) is a public health technology consulting firm located in Conway, Arkansas that specializes in 3 areas: Creative / Technical Writing, Public Speaking / Training and Research / Data Analysis.

LaTonya’s inspiration to start her entrepreneurial journey presented itself as an opportunity outside of her 9-5 role at the state health department. An external company impressed with her skillset in data analytics reached out to her for a paid speaking engagement. At the time of this opportunity, she had already considered branching out on her own, but this opportunity was just the spark she needed to venture out and eventually birth URA Resource Center.

At the time, LaTonya had not decided on a specific niche’ for her business. Her focus was more on meeting the needs of her customers who sought her out and retained her for those specific reasons. She then realized the reason’s her customers were reaching out to her (translational research, writing, data analysis) was indeed her niche’ and passion, so she then began to build up her business to serve as a resource in those 3 key specialty areas.

After completing all the steps to formally structure her business, LaTonya began observing the landscape of entrepreneurship by pondering her team structure.  She mentioned that she really did not have a desire to manage people and also stated, “At first, I wanted to keep all the money to myself”. LaTonya goes on to explain that early on her focus was on generating revenue and a profit, so that she could commit to URA Resource Center exclusively.  However, an inquisitive acquaintance shifted LaTonya’s perspective on the team concept.  This acquaintance was fascinated by the work that LaTonya was doing and asked for an opportunity to serve as an intern.  As LaTonya found herself in this mentorship position, her perspective shifted. She said, “Through that experience working with (the intern), I learned so much. I figured out that it is not so much about supervising but providing resources and technical assistance so that they could be just as successful as I was!”.

From that point, LaTonya opened up to students and those seeking mentorship in her niche’ to form her team.  Because she was a new entrepreneur, she found herself using a bartering system with her interns by providing them technical skills in exchange for their support on secured contracts and other work.  This model is a win-win for URA Resource Center because the interns get to learn real-world technical skills and should she need partners for future contracts, she has built a network of skilled professionals that she can rely on for paid contract partnerships.

We then moved on to the discussion about any major hurdles around research/technology, regulatory and capital/expenses.  LaTonya expressed that as a new entrepreneur, capital was a challenge.  Starting out with only $500, she had to be resourceful in how she acquired the necessities for her business.  She attributes her resourcefulness to her time in the Health Department, stating that there wasn’t always the necessary resources to achieve organizational goals. She also leveraged community resources like, Score Advisors, to help her navigate the financial aspects and viability of her company.

LaTonya identified her customers by reflecting on who she could serve/help with the resources and services that she had developed.  It took her back to how she built her team and how she had seen her interns thrive from their mentorship experiences with her.  This resulted in her initially focusing on students and University/Colleges as one of her primary customers.  Her customer base then grew to other disciplines such as veteran health professionals, contractors and consultants.

LaTonya mentions that she would not do anything differently if she had to start over.  She feels the mistakes she made were learning experiences that have shaped who she is now as an entrepreneur.

The advice she has for budding entrepreneurs is to focus on 3 things:

Embody Self-Confidence: Be bold and reach out. Ask questions and remain teachable.

Charisma: Being self-aware of what it takes to reach career goals. Be interested and excited about the possibilities and go for them.

Capital Planning: Be resourceful and mindful of the free tools (monetary & non-monetary) already available to you.

Recently URA Resource Center secured their first six-figure contract! LaTonya attributes this success to following those three elements.

Tell us about yourself.

My name is Alexandria Whitted, and I am from Chadbourn, North Carolina. I am a passionate and charismatic young woman pursuing a Master of Public Health degree in  Global Health Program Design, Monitoring, and Evaluation with an additional certificate in Sex, Sexuality, and Gender. In 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, I became a first-generation college graduate from East Carolina University with Bachelors degrees in Public Health: Community Health and African and African American Studies. Most notably, in 2016, I was among the final cohort of Gates Millennium Scholars and I am an inaugural research fellow for the Boston University’s Center for Antiracism.

What are your dreams and goals after school?

I have multiple career goals because success is not linear but I want to be an exceptional scholar and exponential change maker. Dreams after completing my masters include taking the time to complete and publish my own figments of my imagination. In addition , I would love to open up my own franchise of wellness centers for low income communities.  My career goals include becoming an international developer who utilizes feminist technology to advance the lives of women and girls globally. My next career aspiration is to develop culturally and generationally relevant programs through career consulting about sexual/reproductive health, antiracism, and women’s empowerment. My last goal would be to become a distinguished professor so that I could share my knowledge and help change the narrative of what a world renowned academic is.

Why did you pick this topic?

I picked this topic because I like sex, not everything about it though. On my journey into becoming the woman I am today I have witnessed and experienced sexual harassment. Come to dislike the negative portrayals and the suppression of Black women’s sexuality while experiencing the public scrutiny of Black women being oversexualized for simply just existing. Another reason I picked this topic is because I took classes where I was constantly reminded that Black women lead in all these negative sexual/maternal health outcomes and I only heard the answer of why from white professors. I was tired of that. I desired to research my own community and  assess from my perspective as a Black qualitative researcher. Lastly, I am enjoying my journey and witnessing other young Black women discover our own sensuality that has nothing to do with anyone else or how we sexually identify. This era of self discovery for us has sparked an interest in going into the past to learn more by drawing my own conclusions to offer this same reclamation and liberation to older generations of Black women.

Do you plan to specialize in sexual health? Why / Why Not?

Absolutely! My master plan to specialize in sexual health is currently being developed with an interdisciplinary approach. It will address the historical damage done and promote new solutions in sexual & reproductive health understanding globally. More specifically, I have began a journey into utilizing feminist technology as a medium to provide culturally and generationally component information for black and brown adolescents. Another component of my master plan is to develop low to no cost programs educating on various topics such as sexual grooming, how to not sexualize children, understanding consent, ways that sex is transactional and sex education tailored to sexual minorities. I am optimistic about opening my own franchise of wellness centers dedicated to my goals for promoting sexual and reproductive health.

What is the number 1 thing that black women / families should know & do? Why?

The one thing that I believe that black families specifically mothers should know and stop doing is over sexualizing our children. To keep this response brief, sexualizing children establishes unhealthy norms that sometimes take years and professional help to manage. Yes, manage is the word I would like to use because no one is achieving all 8 dimensions of wellness 100% of the time. From my own analysis, sexualizing children, specifically Black ones does not promote bodily autonomy, and slowly distorts the image we have of ourselves for future relationships. Sexualizing also blurs the lines of consent and what a child can deem morally right from wrong. I say this because the majority of individuals who are sexually assaulted know their abuser, in the case of children, the “good touch bad touch” conversation is oftentimes not explicit enough to include family members. We are taught that we can trust family but in Black families sexual abuse/violence is an unspoken rule and sometimes children are so young they do not even know what is happening to them is wrong but this topic fuels me because it is personal to me. Then there are the accusations that a female child is sexually active based on the way her body is developing during puberty become extremely harmful and toxic to their physical and emotional development. Adults’ insinuations of what adolescent children are doing sexually based on their body types creates catastrophic health outcomes, of all of them I believe open a gateway for sexual grooming before we recognize it as such. Again, to be brief I believe that children should not be sexualized but instead properly educated about the effects of everything from consent to sexual harassment spiritually, mentally, and physically. But first, promoting this conversation has to be understood by parents themselves because they also need to understand their role in promoting healthy sexual autonomy which changes (really initiates) the conversation for future generations of Black children.

To connect with Alexandria Whitted, MPH (c) on LinkedIn, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandriawhitted/ 

As an undergraduate student, Joreal has formerly served as President, Treasurer, and Social Media Coordinator of the Public Health Student Association. Her resilience, teamwork, management and adequate communication skills led her to become a member of the American Public Health Association, American Medical Student Association, Oklahoma Area Health Education Center Scholars program, and Oklahoma Public Health Association. In May 2021, she is expected to graduate with her Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health from Langston University and proceed in her professional career.

Right when COVID-19 emerged, the pandemic allowed her to play the role of a COVID-19 Case Investigator for the Georgia Department of Public Health. The opportunity allowed her to enhance her communication skills, interaction with diverse communities, tackle complex matters, and administer, compile, analyze and manage data and information. Although healthcare is a challenging profession, her passion for the medical field is massive. This spring Joreal intends to do an internship with The Lighthouse, a non-profit vision & hearing clinic for Georgia’s uninsured residents. After graduation, she aims to pursue a Master of Public Health degree at Georgia Southern University in order to help meet the needs in her community.

Solving Public Health’s Problems

The interview illustrates the interviewee’s journey from studying, occupation, and venturing to start her business. The innovative skills of the interviewee can be gleaned from the interview. For instance, she narrates how she ventured into the unknown world to follow her natural passions. As a result, she overcame the difficulties in the path and eventually established a meaningful organization. Therefore, her journey shows the power of passion in developing an individual’s carrier and attitude in life. Her original career pursuit of pleasing her mother did not satisfy her due to a lack of interest in the job. However, after following her convictions to help people in the manner she deemed efficient, she improved to become a more useful society member. Therefore, the interviewee’s life is a perfect lesson book for current students, especially in this competitive world.

The interviewee’s journey through life has multiple implications for students dreaming of becoming health practitioners. First, the interviewee’s diversion from her original major to focus on providing expertise and technical research analysis for undergraduate students and professional empowers students to follow their passions in choosing the branch of healthcare they wish to practice for the rest of their lives. Moreover, her persistent self-development and fortitude to overcome barriers to achieve her dreams should inspire upcoming students to prepare themselves to manage the challenges that may present difficulties for realizing their ultimate goals. The challenges should offer additional determination to ensure a solution to society’s healthcare problems. Besides, her interview suggests that practicing and training healthcare professionals should be open-minded to see healthcare delivery’s daily problems. For instance, the interviewee highlights that public health covers every aspect of people’s lives. As such, her interview is critical for students and practicing healthcare officers even as they advance their careers.

Interview Questions by Joreal Eady

Interview with LaTonya Bynum, CEO, MPH, CHES

1. Explain your involvement with URA Resource Center, LLC.

Thank you for the opportunity to complete these interview questions. I really appreciate your interest in me and my work. I am the Founder and CEO of URA Resource Center, LLC which is a public health consulting firm established in Conway, Arkansas. URA stands for Utilizing Research for Access. The goal of the organization is to provide expertise in creative/technical writing, research analysis and technical training. After ~13 years of working at the Arkansas Department of Health, I decided to take a leap of faith into the unknown to start my first small business. My ultimate purpose in doing this work is to serve as a resource professional to students, graduates, professionals and fellow consultants.

2. Why did you choose this career?

In my undergraduate studies at the University of Central Arkansas, it took me a while to find what I wanted to major in. At first, I thought I wanted to be an X-Ray Technologist to help fulfil my mother’s dream and that didn’t really interest me. All I knew is that I wanted to help people because I knew what it felt like to be out here in the world needing help yet continually getting overlooked. A guidance counselor told me about the field of health education and came to find out that it was the same major that my college roommate had chosen too. It was perfect timing to find out that there was a field where I could do all the things I loved doing naturally – helping others.

3. How do you plan on focusing your job to help target public health issues?

To target public health issues, my daily focus is to share resources that I am using for my own small business, career advancement and personal development. The main issue that I focus on is Economic Stability which is a Social Determinant of Health. Without access to quality food, clothes, water and shelter then there is no advancement within the community. I follow the Each One Reach One motto and it allows me to identify at least one person to share what I wish I would have known early on. These conversations have led to over 1,000s of lives being positively transformed because of something I said or did.

4. What public health issues are you passionate about?

As a certified health education specialist, I am really passionate about Infant Mortality which is the primary way to understand community health. I am passionately curious as to why the infant mortality rate for Blacks is three times as high as in other races. There are many research studies that touch on several causes yet honestly based on my own experience as a mother, wife, public health leader – I realize that the community really doesn’t care about the survival of a black baby. The numbers tell the truth! I am passionate about Health Disparities, Community Health and Information Technology.

5. Explain the importance of your public health issues.

Public health is in everything we see, say, do, think and definitely where we go. As you see with COVID19 Coronavirus all the attention and focus has been placed on public health. Sad to say but it takes something as terrible as an infectious disease to wake people up to look at the community issues. It is important because everyone is affected and everyone is responsible now for protecting and promoting health. It is important to ride the attention and funding waves when it comes to public health because if you don’t do your work, your program and your community will be overlooked for opportunities to advance.

6.What issues are current in place (barriers, etc)?

In my experience, the main issue is lack of self-confidence when it comes to identifying problems then becoming a solution. I know we see the issues but some of us turn a blind eye to what the community issues are. The issues are still very basic for so many community members – food, water, shelter and clothing. No one person or household is exempt from having to think about the basic needs for human life. A huge barrier for many is tapping into the often overlooked local, state, regional and federal level resources.

7. How do you plan on fighting it in the present and future?

The strategic plan for URA Resource Center, LLC is to continue to organize resources, train emerging leaders and offer products / services to the community. Currently, the organization has 2 interns in the URA Resource Internship-Mentorship program. The interns will be working on developing toolkits to be used with students, graduates and professionals with an interest in Economic Stability for themselves and their community members. In the future, the 40+ programs offered by the organization will have an assigned point of contact person to offer community solutions where there is an identified need.

8. How important is a graduate degree, designation, or additional certificate in this field?

To master and perfect the art and science of public health, it is important to have higher education whether it be a Bachelors, Masters or Doctorate. However to do public health work effectively it is important to constantly train as a community health worker to understand the pulse of what is often overlooked and not detailed in many public health books. I highly encourage anyone interested in their own health or in public health to take no cost FREE trainings on Train.org which is a publicly accessible website to learn more about public health issues such as COVID19, Grant Writing, Communication, Leadership, Procurement and other topics. To be designated as a professional, it is important to continually educate oneself on emerging public health topics. Earning certificates using Train.org is a first step in becoming resourceful.

9. Are you a member of any professional orders or associations? Which ones do you feel are the most important to belong to?

I am a member of several local, state and national public health organizations yet the one where I have had the most return on investment in time, networking potential and money – Toastmasters International. Toastmasters International is a great resource for building self-confidence in Communication and Leadership. I have been a member for over 7 years and from the training I have been able to learn to share my personal story in order to better connect with others. This has made me a better mother, wife, daughter, friend and professional leader for the community. I think everyone and their momma should join their nearest club. Clubs are meeting virtually during the pandemic. Check them out at www.toastmasters.org

10. What advice would you like to have heard when you were starting out?

I wish someone would have shown me how to be fearless when I started out as a secretary at the Arkansas Department of Health. I had the education yet I didn’t have the experience necessary to empower change in order to transform lives.

11. What is your leadership style?

My leadership style is transformational in nature so I am very nurturing and focused on learning through experience of listening closely to evaluate the person and their current situation – this is called high emotional intelligence. I left the Arkansas Department of Health because my next level was to become a supervisor. I didn’t want to supervise anyone because I had seen other supervisors who were not fully engaged with their employees because of agency policy, past experiences and other issues. I said to myself if I supervise then I want to do it my way so this is the ultimate reason for starting my own small business to keep myself out of trouble from saying the things that need to be said or doing the things that need to be done.

12. How did you reach the position you are currently in?

At a national conference, I met a nice lady at a conference who sat down with me over breakfast. We talked about the ins and outs of her position and mine. It was a GREAT conversation. As we wrapped up from breakfast, she told me that she was going to have me come  to her state and speak to her group about my work in Arkansas. To my surprise, a couple of days later she called and asked me to come to her state and share my resources. This is when I thought to myself it was past time to start my small business officially and file the paperwork with the Secretary of State Office. In three days, I became a small business owner and here I am four years later still going strong with more wisdom since that breakfast.

13. What is an obstacle you have encountered in your job and how did you come back from it?

Recently two women took what I said in confidence to them in the wrong way. I realize that I am wearing so many hats these days and really didn’t slow down to fully explain my point of view to make sure they understood my position. In this business, communication is important and I have now learned to reach people at their level and remember that I didn’t always know what I know now. From this experience, I am learning to ask more questions before sharing resources and experience. In 2021, I am going with the 90-10 rule for asking at least 9 questions before I provide 1 resource.

14. What are your long-term personal and professional goals?

My long-term personal goal is to become a better mom to my 3 kids and an amazing wife to my husband of 13 years – in order to do this I will have to focus on self-care to avoid healthcare. Professionally, I want to work on automating my 20 revenue generating programs in order to have more time to deepen relationships and share valuable resources.

To connect with Joreal Eady, BSPH (c), go to LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/joreal-eady/

To learn more about the Interviewee LaTonya Bynum, CEO, MPH, CHES, go to LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/latonyabynum/

Many thanks to Vanessa Da Costa of Chilomba Careers for sharing this list.

100. Mentorship
99. Career Advice
98. Business Development
97. Social Media Content
96. Event Speaker
95. Meeting Scribe
94. Resume/CV and Cover Letter Edits
93. CHES exam mentorship
92. Grant Writer
91. Needs Assessment
90. SAS data analysis
89. Research Publication
88. Project Plan/Management
87. Job search/listing/profiling
86. Career Transition to IT or Government
85. Certifications
84. Job interview preparation
83. Ethics and Professionalism
82. Government Job Application
81. Notary Public
80. FASFA application
79. MPH in Health Policy & Management coursework
78. BS in Health Education & Spanish coursework
77. Hootsuite features
76. LinkedIn Networking
75. Instagram hashtags
76. Facebook group/leads
75. Internship supervisor
74. Job performance & etiquette
73. Toastmasters International
72. PPT presentation
71. Excel formulas
70. Salary Negotiation
69. Calling Scriptor
68. Goal Setting
67. Networking
66. Resource Development
65. Strategic Planning
64. Grant Writing
63. Referral to credible sources
62. Podcast
61. Membership Benefits ROI
60. Book Author
59. Consultant
58. Meeting Facilitator
57. Newsletter Editor
56. Event Planner/Recruitment
55. Canva Flyers
54. Speech Evaluation
53. App Developer
52. Business Revenue Generation
51. Video Editor
50. Life Wisdom
49. Community Resource Listing
48. Communication Technique
47. Radio Show Host
46. Leadership Training
45. Skill Development
44. Procurement Technique
43. Internship Plan Skill Mapping
42. Relationship Building
41. Divorce Prevention Tools
40. Fun Games for Kids
39. Baby Shower Games
38. Ideas for the Underpaid, Overworked and Under-valued
37. Webinar Presenter
36. 1-page business plan in 26 font
35. Brainstorming Life Wisdom
34. Train.org resources
33. Career Assessment
32. Explorehealthcareer.org tools
31. Documentation Editor
30. MS Word Templates
29. School Letter of Intent Documentation
28. Speech writer
27. Community Event Listings
26. Social Media Account Set-Up
25. Social Media Direct Message Scripting
24. Text Messaging
23. Twitter Networking & Hashtags
22. Professional Branding
21. Book Marketing
20. News Article/Publication
19. YouTube E-Course
18. CHES Exam E-course
17. Ebook & Epages
16. Top 10 List Technique w/ bonus
15. Interstate Project Collaboration
14. Social Media Influencer vs. Follower
13. Survey Coordinator
12. Data Entry
11. Secretary/Front Desk Receptionist
10. Project Team Lead
9. Volunteer Trainer/Organizer
8. Price Sheet
7. Invoice Template Set-Up
6. Workshop Organizer
5. Entrepreneurship for kids
4. Subcontracting to Consultants
3. Government Contracting
2. Business Partner Accountability
1. Letter Mail Merge
Bonus: USPS Media Mail & Package Tracking

1. Where are you employed full-time, and how long have you been certified as a CHES?

LaTonya is employed as a full-time Technical Editor for DXC Technology. She is also the Founder/CEO of U.R.A. Resource Center, LLC which is a public health consulting firm in Conway, AR.

2. What specific degree do you possess, and how many years of experience do you have in the Health Education Field?

LaTonya has a Master’s in Public Health and has been certified as a CHES since 2011. However, she first took the exam in 2004 in which she failed the exam by just three points.

3. Where did you prepare academically before taking the CHES exam, and did you feel as though you were prepared adequately for the exam and to work in health education?

LaTonya earned her Bachelor of Science (BS) Degree in Health Science with an emphasis in Community Health and Spanish from the University of Central Arkansas. She has recently completed her Master’s in Public Health through the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

In order for LaTonya to prepare for the CHES exam, she was required to complete a 6-month internship from her BS program, join the Arkansas Society of Public Health Education, and enroll in the Mentorship program as a mentee. She then studied to materials given to her by her Mentor who was also the President of AR SOPHE, Marian S. (Marian Evans) Evans Lothery, DrPH, CHES. LaTonya stated “I felt more than prepared for the exam yet, I did not have enough work experience to be able to take the theories and models and then apply them to the real world”

She then landed her very first professional career in public health as a Secretary at the Arkansas Department of Health in December of 2004.

4. In your opinion, how do you feel the CHES credential separates you from others who have a Health Education related degree or minor?

LaTonya definitely inspired me with the answer she stated that she recently developed the 5 C’s of CHES benefits and values.

• Bump shoulders with the best of the best to get connections- Career Connections
• Use your personality to energize the room- Charisma
• Know your story and own it- Confidence
• Toot your own professional horn- Credibility
• Innovate the Field- Culture of Innovation

5. What is needed to maintain a CHES?

In order to maintain a CHES, one must complete 75 continuing education hours in a 5-year period. 45 of those hours must be pre-approved and the other 30 hours do not have to be pre-approved.

LaTonya then shared a link for those who are wanting to know more about the requirements in continuing their education with a CHES. https://www.nchec.org/continuing-education

The link seemed to have shared absolutely everything in full detail that one must need to know on continuing their education as a CHES.

6. What advice would you give to one who is thinking about taking the exam to become a CHES? Any additional information?

• Download the CHES Exam Study Tips app by URA Resource Center for Android and Apple users.
• Find a CHES certified mentor to guide you with real-world examples to assist with putting the book smarts to the test.
• Purchase the companion guide on the NCHEC.org website and be sure to align your internship, job duties, and service learning opportunities with the 7 areas of responsibility.

LaTonya’s added Bonus: “Share as you learn new health education techniques so that people and community members will challenge your experience and you can learn even more”

As I looked more into LaTonya’s profile, I quickly discovered her love for what she does, it seems as though she is constantly learning new things in her Health Education career. Her passion and time she put into this short interview inspired me to always give it my all-in whatever career field I choose. LaTonya has written her own book on her tips and tricks to career success called “Tools for Career Success: 101 Answers to FAQs about Public Health”. Copies are available for purchase via Amazon , Barnes and Noble , Books A Million , Indie Bound , Lulu , and Second Sale .

Thank you so much for your time this morning LaTonya I truly enjoyed it and look forward to keeping in touch with you in the near future!

Asiah Jackson

“Social Media content is offered to share my personal life and career struggles turned successes in rising above shame, poor-self-confidence and finding my “unapologetic” voice while overcoming bouts of depression.” –LaTonya Bynum

Top 10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Leading CHES Study Group Sessions:

10. Direct aspiring CHES to supplemental readings and materials to those who are unable to purchase the study materials available via NCHEC

9. Provide resources and coping strategies to those who suffer with test anxiety and high-stress

CHES Study Tip:

Focus on mastering the bulk of the exam which is Responsibility III – Implementation of Health Education Programs. Twenty-five (25%) percent of the exam is Implementation.

Know the following 12 terms and use them in a sentence of your own: Learning Activities, Implementation, Primary Function, Five Phases of Implementation, Pre-testing, Four Ps of Marketing, Educational Activities, Environmental Interventions, Behavior Modification, Advocacy Activities, Communication Activities, and Health Status Evaluation.

Be sure to inquire about the 2-HR online CHES Study Session for more tips and resources.