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When Shaneka Grimes majored in Public Health Education in college, she never expected to live through a global pandemic, but she explains public health is more than just COVID-19, it is a community-centered profession that cares for every sector of a person’s life.

Originally from Bronx, New York, Grimes moved to the Triangle on her ninth birthday because her mother wanted her children to have access to better educational opportunities.

Grimes is a self-described caretaker and teacher. As a child, she lined up her stuffed animals and taught them how to add and subtract. As a young adult, she tutored her peers in math and Spanish. And as a college graduate, she found a career path that bridged her two passions.

Today, she serves as Public Health Officer at �鶹Ӱ��.

“I always thought I would be a teacher or a nurse because I loved making sure folks had information they needed and were cared for,” she said.

After high school, she enrolled at North Carolina Central University where she majored in nursing, but after taking a few courses and job shadowing, she had a startling realization.

“I started to realize that people were already sick by the time they got to the nurses I would shadow. They were sick or dying or their quality of life was not the best,” she said. “That’s when I realized I wanted to do something before they got sick, before they ended up in the hospital, before whatever landed them in that position. I thought, ‘What can I do that’s preventative?’”

She immediately changed her major to Public Health Education.

“I could bridge my love of teaching, helping folks learn about quality of life, and connect them with community resources. I could do all of that within public health,” she said.

Her first experience was an internship, which turned into a job, with the Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities within the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. She served on a management team for a statewide minority diabetes prevention program.

“We were helping people before they got sick with diabetes. It was close to my heart because in black and brown communities, we die of diabetes or complications due to diabetes more often than our white counterparts,” she said.

Grimes secured a second job with Wake County Human Services Division of Public Health where she taught lifestyle classes.

“Public health is in everything that we do. It touches every sector,” she said. “If someone told me they had diabetes because they only eat fast food, then I would ask, ‘why are you only eating fast food?’ Well, income is a reason. ‘I cannot afford healthy food’ they would tell me, so let me help you find access to healthy food. In public health, you have to take a whole person approach.”

‘Nothing to it but to do it’

Grimes has been working since she was 13 years old, and she has worked two jobs since college. While attending NCCU full-time, she was also a full-time manager of a dry cleaner, interning at the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, and worked another job from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.

“I don’t know when I slept, but I graduated with honors. Working is in my DNA,” she said. “There’s nothing to it, but to do it. There were so many things I had to work for and towards, and the only way I could do that was to work.”

For nearly four years, she continued working two jobs at the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and Wake County Human Services. They were both contract positions without benefits and in Fall 2020 she was ready for a change.

“I was working so hard at both jobs, but I still couldn’t afford health insurance. It was worth it to me at the time because I needed to build up that work experience, but now that I’ve done that, I need to shift to a position that’s going to give me benefits and better pay.”

She came across the job posting at �鶹Ӱ�� with only two days left to apply.

“After reading the job description, I knew this position was for me,” she said. “It just felt right.”

She started in December 2020.

“I’ve had the best experience working here, but it’s tough in my position sometimes. COVID-19 doesn’t bring out the best in people because people are scared and I get that, but I’ve had overwhelming support from leadership. President Buxton even called me one weekend just to tell me I was doing a good job,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it. That has never happened to me before.”

�鶹Ӱ�� President J.B. Buxton said Shaneka Grimes’ leadership is among the many reasons the College has been able to maintain safe campus environments.

“She has provided clear direction and support for our efforts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a commitment to addressing the related issues of general wellness and mental health,” Buxton said. “The College is fortunate to have her knowledge and commitment working on behalf of students and employees.”

Angela Davis, Chief Talent and Equity Officer at �鶹Ӱ��, said Grimes embodies the College's core value, The Standard for Excellence.

"Shaneka commits to the highest professional standards of quality, integrity, and performance in our services and operations. I am proud to work with Shaneka and look forward to her supporting our campus community as our Public Health Officer," Davis said.

As Public Health Officer, Grimes ensures she’s up-to-date with the latest information on vaccines, boosters, and best practices regarding preventative health measures. She reviews the College’s numbers to determine if there’s a decrease or increase in cases, or if the numbers are flattening out. She also checks verified local, state, and federal sources for COVID-19 guidelines, and makes recommendations based off guidance and numbers.

“I’ve never seen such commitment to employees before or such commitment to public health than I’ve seen at �鶹Ӱ��,” Grimes said. “From where I was to now, it feels like a dream. This is by far the best job I’ve ever had.”

Despite securing the full-time job with benefits she longed for, Grimes held close to her instinctive work ethic. For the first 10 months on the job, four days per week, she stocked shelves at Wegman’s in Raleigh from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. before clocking in at �鶹Ӱ�� at 8 a.m.

On October 31, she worked her last overnight shift at Wegman’s.

“I finally got to a point where I didn’t have to work two jobs anymore,” she said. “I can let myself breathe a little bit.”

‘Know your why’

When Grimes was studying public health in college, she said she never thought she would experience a global pandemic.

“It’s important to have foundational knowledge of public health and know the core values of being community-centered, but there’s not a textbook pandemic. Education can only prepare you so much, a lot of it is through real world experience,” Grimes said. “The world did not truly understand the vastness of public health as a profession until COVID-19 happened.”

Grimes advice to students that are interested in pursuing health public: Know your why.

“You need to know your why to have direction. Public health is so large, you need an area of focus and you need to have a why for that,” she said. “If you want to help community members, you’ll want to focus on local organizations. If you want to impact statewide programs, you’ll want to focus on state agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services. If you want to impact policy, you could look at federal agencies or within an agency’s or organization’s policy department. This work can get very hard and having a passion for it makes it feel like more than just another job.”

Her greatest inspiration has been family and community, which ultimately led her to the public health field.

“When I was growing up, I saw what conditions we were living in and I knew I wanted to change that. I didn’t know how I was going to do that at the time, but I knew that wasn’t a way for us to live. That’s where my passion for policy change with racial and health equity work stemmed from. It wasn’t until I grew up that I realized this was where I need to focus. I love connecting people with the resources they need.”
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Contact Marcy Gardner, Content and Social Media Coordinator at gardnerm@durhamtech.edu