For Morie Vandi, health care should never depend on your zip code.

“I’ve always believed quality care shouldn’t be determined by socioeconomic status,” said Vandi, a fourth-year public health major with a minor in healthcare management. “If I want to see change, I have to be the change.”

That mindset didn’t happen overnight.

Vandi arrived at Temple planning to pursue the health professions track and eventually apply to Physician Assistant (PA) school. But after a challenging transition from high school during COVID and an early struggle to connect with his coursework, he began to question whether he was on the right path.

“I wasn’t sure if it was the right fit for me,” he said. “Switching to public health honestly helped me fall back in love with health care.”

Through courses in health policy and the inner workings of insurance and payment systems, Vandi began to see the broader forces shaping patient outcomes. Public health helped him see the bigger picture. But it was his internship with Ride Hard Breathe Easy, a nonprofit that partners with hospitals to promote lung cancer awareness and early screening, where it really clicked.

“Being in the community and hearing how people felt dismissed or unheard in their own health struggles — that stuck with me,” he said. “You trust physicians, of course, but not everyone feels understood. I realized I still wanted to work directly with patients.”

Today, Vandi serves as co-president of Temple’s newly founded Lung Cancer Screening Initiative, helping organize events and connect students interested in health careers with meaningful community engagement.

“I think in college we get so focused on exams and clinical hours,” he said. “But there has to be room to serve the community, too.”

His commitment to equity also guided his work as a maternal mortality project leader, where he researched disparities affecting Black women locally and nationally. The experience reinforced his belief that prevention, advocacy, and clinical care must work together.

The son of Sierra Leonean immigrants, Vandi recently visited the country and saw firsthand how infrastructure and access shape health outcomes. The experience deepened his appreciation for the sacrifices his parents made and strengthened his desire to serve communities that often feel overlooked.

“It was humbling,” he said. “Seeing where my parents came from made me even more motivated to give back.”

After graduation, Vandi plans to gain hands-on clinical experience before applying to PA school. Long term, he hopes to pair direct patient care with policy or global health work, particularly in communities where access has never been guaranteed.

Vandi knows the responsibility starts with him.

“To see better care in my community, I have to step up and provide it.”