College of Liberal Arts, Class of 2017
How has the PHSRC helped you in your pursuit of a health degree?
The PHSRC has served as a great resource since day one of my undergraduate degree. Coming from a rural area of Minnesota I was left with a handful of questions regarding how to pursue my desired career path. Thankfully the courses that the PHSRC provided allowed me to answer those questions and guided me towards a discipline in health that will help me to utilize my prior experience.
The staff at the PHSRC encouraged me to keep my eyes open when exploring potential fields in healthcare. By mentoring me through the Future Physician and Writing a Personal Statement courses, they provided me with an environment that allowed me to look more genuinely at where I wanted to be involved in healthcare. When it came time to decide on which schools to apply to, they provided me with endless resources and knowledge to ensure that my current profile was well matched with the schools I applied.
Looking back, our Global Future Physician trip to Mysore India will always be a highlight of my undergraduate experience. Working to understand healthcare through a lens other than our own provided me with potential ideas that could be implemented in our own healthcare system. In turn this helped me realize that working through the mechanism of prevention in public health is where my passion lies.
Making the decision to apply to the Masters of Public Health program would not have happened without the help of the PHSRC. My prior experience as a rural/remote EMT and Army Combat Medic always put me "down the river" where all I could do is react to emergencies. I am excited now to have been pushed in the direction that puts me "up the river" so I can start preventing those same emergencies from ever happening again.