Rooted at USF, Rising at the Port

When I began my Master of Public Health at the University of San Francisco in August 2019, I had no idea how profoundly it would change my life. I entered the program simply wanting to help people, but I didn’t yet understand what it meant to serve a community with purpose. Over the next two years, as the world shifted beneath us, I learned what public health truly demands: empathy, resilience, courage, and a deep commitment to others.

During the pandemic, I served as a disaster service worker for the City and County of San Francisco. I was assigned to the COVID-19 Outbreak Management Team and worked as a Case Investigator for single-room-occupancy residences in some of San Francisco’s most vulnerable communities. I spoke with people facing fear, uncertainty, isolation, and hardship, and those conversations changed me. They taught me how to meet people where they are, how to listen with intention, and how to support communities navigating crisis with both steadiness and compassion. Those lessons have stayed with me every day since.

After graduating in 2021, I accepted a new role within the Maintenance Division at the Port of San Francisco as a Special Projects Analyst. It wasn’t the traditional path for someone with an MPH, but I saw the possibility. I saw community in both the Port employees and the people who enjoy and rely on the waterfront. Most of all, I saw an opportunity to bring public health into a space where it wasn’t always recognized but absolutely belonged. Instead of molding myself to the role, I allowed the role to grow with me.

I strive to integrate public-health principles into my role. I led and co-published the Port’s overdose prevention program to reduce harm and support the health of the communities who live, work, and gather along the waterfront. As I learned more about the Port’s parks, shorelines, and open spaces, I realized something powerful: people wanted to care for these places. They just needed a way to do it.

That realization inspired me to launch the Port’s first Parks & Open Spaces Volunteer Program, an effort centered entirely on the community. The goal was simple but meaningful: give neighbors, residents, local organizations, and partners the chance to help care for the waterfront that belongs to all of us.

In its inaugural year, the program organized seven major beautification events across the 7.5 miles of Port-managed parks and open spaces. More than 150 volunteers joined us, including local businesses, nonprofits, school groups, and community members of all ages. Together, they removed debris from shorelines, pulled invasive weeds, restored habitats, abated graffiti, and tended to parks up and down the waterfront. The impact was visible. Even more meaningful was what happened between people: conversations, connections, shared pride, and a sense that the waterfront is a place worth caring for.

What started as a community stewardship idea has turned into something much larger, something rooted in belonging. Volunteers leave these events knowing a little more about the waterfront, feeling a little more connected to their neighbors, and understanding that these parks and shorelines are part of their story too.

I entered the Port of San Francisco as a Health and Safety Intern, and today, as a Senior Analyst, I am stewarding 7.5 miles of San Francisco’s waterfront.

My path hasn’t been linear, but it has been full of purpose. The Port of San Francisco has become the place where everything I learned at USF comes alive: equity, service, environmental care, community connection, and the belief that real change begins locally. Public health lives here in every clean shoreline, every hopeful partnership, every restored habitat, every neighbor who shows up to protect the place we share.

Join Arianna at the One City Day

San Francisco’s first-ever citywide day of service!

On Saturday, July 11th, San Franciscans across all 11 districts will come together to volunteer, connect, and show up for the city we love. Whether you’re gardening, cleaning up a neighborhood, packing supplies, or creating art, there’s the perfect project for all ages and abilities.

Register Here