Meet Student Rebeka Moges: Striving to Make a Difference
Rebeka Moges, Cal Poly public health major and student researcher.
"Big or small, change is change"
August 2025 / NEWS STORY
by Stella Goldstein
First-generation college student Rebeka Moges is inspired to pursue a career in public health to help people in need after seeing some of her family members without access to proper health care in her native Ethiopia in addition to systemic disparities in the U.S.
Moges, a Frost Research Scholar, is a rising Cal Poly fourth-year public health major from Santa Monica, California.
She has gained experience through the BEACoN and U-Rise programs, both of which support research opportunities that include students from underrepresented groups.
This summer, Moges assisted with research in tobacco prevention and control and related health disparities at the PHAN (Promoting Health and Addressing Nicotine) lab directed by Dr. Lilianna Phan at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
At the PHAN Lab, Moges’ work focused reducing tobacco and alcohol-related health disparities and promoting health equity among young adults of color. One of the studies involves raising awareness of the health effects of cigarillo (small-sized cigars) smoking and preventing use among Black young adults.
“Black communities are especially targeted by tobacco industry tactics, and there is limited available information on the health harms of commercial tobacco use other than cigarettes,” Moges said.
Moges helped coordinate programming surveys, transcribe qualitative interviews and prepare manuscripts for dissemination of research findings.
Moges’ passion for equitable access to health care didn’t just start this summer in Philadelphia. She was born in Ethiopia, moving to the U.S. with her parents when she was 4 years old.
“In Ethiopia, there are so many people that just don't have access to the care that they need,” she said. “My upbringing, and just the things I've witnessed, definitely have formed my passion for public health and sparked my desire to serve underrepresented groups.”
Through her work, Moges wants to make an impact in health disparities and cancer prevention, emphasizing that equity in healthcare access and education are important to her.
When Moges first came to Cal Poly, she thought she wanted to be a doctor. After taking a women’s health class suggested by her roommate, Moges once again saw the gaps that exist in healthcare access, which only furthered her public health interests. Shortly after, Moges began to do research in smoking and tobacco with Dr. Adrienne Lent, a Cal Poly Kinesiology and Public Department professor.
"My experience opened my eyes to how there are so many different ways to make an impact,” Moges said.
Various forms of program support at Cal Poly have helped her cover essential costs to pursue her educational and career goals.
After her initial introduction to research and through the mentorship of Lent, Moges became a BEACoN scholar where she furthered her research in smoking cessation, studying the relationship between smoker protection laws and smoking status: “Throughout that experience, I felt really gratified about the research that we had done on tobacco disparities.”
Moges then also applied for the U-RISE program, a two-year training program funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This program provides funding and mentorship opportunities for students to explore research and develop their identity as scientists. Moges’ summer research is also funded by NIH.
Moges also has served as a Bailey College of Science and Mathematics Ambassador.
While her exact career pathway remains to be determined, Moges plans to pursue a future in public health and help improve disparities in healthcare. She aims to go to grad school and even on to earn a Ph.D., possibly in epidemiology.
“Big or small, change is change,” she said.
To read more about the Phan Lab, go to: thephanlab.webflow.io.
For more on the Frost Fund, visit: cosam.calpoly.edu/frost-fund.
