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Taniya Griffin, B.S., MPH-S

@_theniyag

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chicago
xula alumna | uni. of illinois 🩺

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soft life activities 💕🩰

#hairday #girlala by @_theniyag

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2 months ago

proof of life 🩰🍵🖇️💕
#dumping taken in Chicago, Illinois by @_theniyag

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2 months ago

This is proof that persistence is louder than fear.

I keep thinking about the girl who got dropped off at Xavier and had to stand there alone and figure it out. Sitting in KD unpacking, decorating my room, figuring everything out by myself.

And now I’m leaving as someone who did exactly that.

Not perfectly. Not easily. But I did it.

There were moments I felt defeated, moments I questioned myself, moments I had to start over mentally more times than I can count. But I stayed. I adjusted. I grew. I found my way, even when I wasn’t sure what it looked like yet.

This degree represents more than academic success. It represents resilience. It represents choosing to rise on the days I felt like falling apart, every quiet battle I fought, and every moment I decided not to quit.

I didn’t come out of this the same person I was when I started, and that’s the most beautiful part. I’m stronger, wiser, and more certain of who I’m becoming. This is not just an ending, it’s a reflection of everything it took to get here and everything I’m stepping into next.

I’m so proud of what I built and sustained, graduating debt free AND with honors. Little Ms. Magna Cum Laude

And my grandmother… I wish you could see this moment in real time. Losing you my junior year and your absence changed me, but so did your love. I carry you with me in everything I’ve become.

This chapter gave me more than a degree, it gave me me.

This is only the beginning. 🎓💝

Chicago raised. Xavier made.

Signing out,
Taniya M. Griffin, B.S. Public Health Sciences
Minor in Biology
Magna Cum Laude by @_theniyag

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5 months ago

I don’t think people talk enough about what it takes to become who you’re trying to be while still healing from who you had to be.

Some parts of this journey were visible: classes, grades, accomplishments. But a lot of it happened internally. Learning how to trust myself. Learning how to move forward without constant reassurance. Learning how to keep going even when I didn’t feel supported in the ways I needed. Learning how to navigate life without much direction while holding myself to a standard I built on my own. Learning how to pick myself up while dealing with loss.

There were moments I felt everything at once and still had to function like I didn’t. And over time, I realized growth doesn’t always look like progress, it looks like choosing yourself, over and over again, even when it’s hard.

I carry a lot of gratitude for the version of me who didn’t quit. She didn’t always feel strong, but she kept going anyway.

There’s a younger version of me who needed this moment, someone who didn’t always feel supported, who questioned herself more than she should have, and who just needed proof that she could make it this far. I hope she sees me now and understands that none of it was for nothing.

May 9 | 1:00PM
B.S. in Public Health💕
Minor in Biology
Xavier University of Louisiana

#xavieruniversityoflouisiana #explore taken in Xavier University of Louisiana by @_theniyag

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6 months ago

1 of 1 because they ain’t me 🩰 by @_theniyag

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6 months ago

This weekend, I had the opportunity to join the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health at the American Public Health Association (APHA) Convention, held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

I presented the work I completed this past summer through my internship with Cribs for Kids and the University of Pittsburgh. During my internship, I worked on redesigning the organization’s Yellow Card, a data-tracking tool used when distributing cribs to families. The original form posed issues like HIPAA concerns and lacked visual appeal, so I redesigned it to be both compliant and educational, transforming it into a resource that not only tracks data but also teaches caregivers about SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) and its risk factors, making the form more effective and user-friendly for the organization, its distribution partners, and hospitals.

Being able to present this project at APHA 2025, my first major national public health conference, was truly surreal. Beyond presenting, I had the chance to attend thought provoking sessions on climate and health, connect with inspiring public health professionals, and learn more about graduate programs in public health as I prepare for my next steps after undergrad.

I’m so thankful to God for placing me in spaces that continue to challenge, grow, and affirm my purpose in public health, not only public health but in general. Overly proud of myself for making it to my second conference this year🙏🏽

KEEPING MY HEAD, HEELS, & STANDARDS HIGH ALL THE TIME ✨ taken in Washington D. C. by @_theniyag

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a year ago