Document Type
Capstone Experience
Graduation Date
12-2025
Degree Name
Master of Public Health
Department
Health Promotion
First Committee Member
Dr. Jamie Dowling
Second Committee Member
Dr. Nicole Kolm Valdivia
Third Committee Member
Dr. Jungyoon Kim
Fourth Committee Member
Laura Vinson
Abstract
The Community-Driven Capstone Track is a pilot program designed as an alternative to the traditional capstone track. With this track, students are able to engage with community partners through an integrative learning experience. The goal is to address real organizational needs in a way that demonstrates the mastery of foundational and concentration competencies.
Unlike the traditional capstone track, the CDC offers flexibility in both project type and deliverables. Rather than one formal written report, students might produce a series of products or tools. Deliverables are decided collaboratively between the student, community partners, and the faculty committee to ensure they are appropriate and useful.
This intervention brief is one of four deliverables completed for this capstone project. The foundation for the project comes from the citywide survey conducted in 2024 and 2025 by the New Americans Task Force, in partnership with the Asian Community and Cultural Center. Together, they surveyed over 500 immigrants and refugees living in Lincoln, Nebraska, with the intent of gaining a deeper understanding of their experiences regarding language access, community connectedness, health, housing, civic engagement, employment, and more.
The findings highlight both the strengths of the community and barriers that remain. This was the second survey of its kind, with the first being completed in 2019. This project utilized those survey results, along with community partner input from the Asian Community and Cultural Center and the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, to identify how community needs align with organizational priorities and capacities.
Recommended Citation
Placke, Nicole, "Creating Actionable, Culturally Appropriate Interventions from Survey Data: A Community-Driven Capstone Pilot Project" (2025). Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health. 420.
https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/coph_slce/420