MACON — Mercer University Class of 2023 graduate Abigail Yemisrach has been awarded an internship at the Carter Center with the Trachoma Control Program and admitted to the Teaching Assistant Program in France.
Yemisrach, who graduated with a double-major in public health and French, began her internship at the Carter Center in Atlanta in May. As part of the Trachoma Control Program, she is working to help eliminate trachoma, the world’s leading cause of preventable blindness, in five African countries.
“This internship combines my passions for public health and French directly, as the communities that I am involved in are in need of public health intervention strategies and are also Francophone African countries,” she said. “My ultimate goal is to aid underserved international populations, and I strongly see a future in nonprofit work for myself.”
In October, Yemisrach will begin a seven-month Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF), in which she will be immersed in a French city and teach English at a high school. The program is offered by the Cultural Services Division of the French Embassy in the U.S.
“TAPIF uniquely blends the opportunity of learning through immersion with the intention of creating strong cultural relations,” said Yemisrach, who is from McDonough. “This program will allow me to grow out of my comfort zone and explore what it means to be a delegate of U.S. diplomacy abroad through creating new relationships, exploring new cultures and, ultimately, serving my local community.”
At Mercer, Yemisrach was involved in the Student Government Association, Residence Hall Association, Office of Housing and Residence Life, Minority Mentor Program and University Admissions. She is the recipient of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship and The Bear Award, and she was named TRIO Programs Mentee of the Year in 2019.
She plans on applying to graduate school to pursue a joint master’s degree in public health and international affairs.
About Mercer University
Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. With approximately 9,000 students enrolled in 12 schools and colleges, on major campuses in Macon and Atlanta; medical school sites in Macon, Savannah and Columbus; and at regional academic centers in Henry and Douglas counties, Mercer is ranked among the top tier of national research universities by U.S. News & World Report. The Mercer Health Sciences Center includes the University’s School of Medicine and Colleges of Nursing, Health Professions and Pharmacy. Mercer is affiliated with five teaching hospitals – Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center and Piedmont Macon Medical Center in Macon; Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah; and Piedmont Columbus Regional Hospital and St. Francis-Emory Healthcare in Columbus. The University also has an educational partnership with Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins. It operates an academic press and a performing arts center in Macon and an engineering research center in Warner Robins. Mercer Medicine, the clinical faculty practice of the School of Medicine, is based in Macon and operates additional clinics in Sumter, Peach, Clay, Putnam and Harris counties. Mercer is one of only 293 institutions nationwide to shelter a chapter of The Phi Beta Kappa Society, the nation’s most prestigious academic honor society; one of eight institutions to hold membership in the Georgia Research Alliance; and the only private university in Georgia to field an NCAA Division I athletic program. For more information, visit mercer.edu.
