I'm a student at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. I'm running the Cambridge Half Marathon in the spring of 2023 to raise money for the school and support my fellow students. 

Two years ago, I was not healthy enough to make it across the finish line of a half marathon, let alone make it a kilometer. It feels ironic that I am now running one on behalf of a school of Public Health - a notion that makes me feel both like bursting into tears and also like hugging my younger self. I am incredibly proud to say that I am now in a place where I can join the team of LSHTM runners raising money on behalf of our fellow students to make sure that we are getting an education that is accessible and affordable for everyone. 

Last September I moved from Canada, where my life was, to London, to join a youth non-profit called Force of Nature (https://www.forceofnature.xyz/) that was working at the intersection of Climate and Mental Health to support young people at the grassroots fighting for a better world. I had always wanted to attend LSHTM, but wanted to do so for the correct reasons - upon getting here, I realised that I needed to learn more about how health systems locally and globally influence inequality. I am a huge proponent of "not about us without us", meaning we cannot think about health, policy or development without including the people affected. 

My education is an enormous privilege that I do not take for granted. When talking about health, we have to make sure that the correct voices are in the room, and that we create spaces that are inclusive, diverse and accessible. This is why I think it is so important to support the scholarship funds for the institution I am at. 

Find out more about the school's Scholarship funds and where your money will go here: 

• LSHTM Scholarship Fund: Empowering the next generation of future health leaders to study with us | Support us | LSHTM
• Introducing Meenakshi Monga, LSHTM Fund Scholar 2022 | Your gift in action | LSHTM
• The impact of scholarships | Your gift in action | LSHTM
• Support us | LSHTM

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