Graduate / 'suma cum lade' - MPH personal interest [4]

To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift- steven prefontaine

Growing up I always wanted to be a doctor, because that was the only career field i knew of that helped people get better. However; throughout the years as an undergraduate, my passion changed from becoming a doctor to wanting to do something else in the health care field. I didn't know what I wanted to do for awhile; but I continued to give my studies my 100% percent effort. During my undergraduate career I surrounded myself in organizations that were always participating and making an impact in the community. From the local to the state level; I always gave everything I did my best- this quote kept me inspired. Many of my community service projects helped shaped what i wanted to do generally for the rest of my life.

I had two experiences that pushed me towards the field of epidemiology- one a community service project in Washington, D.C. And finally taking Emerging Infectious Diseases at the XXX. The first experience was taking Emerging Infectious Diseases in the XXX term. At the time I was pursuing my minor in Public Health and I enjoyed this class so very much. Now I always have had a niche for research- from etiology to statistics; however, taking this class put research in a new perspective for me. I often dreamt of being able to research certain diseases or traveling to collect samples of more prominent. After the semester ended I kept the book and even till this day I read the book and brush up on knowledge on more prevalent diseases. This class opened my eyes on a new career- epidemiology and now I have an undying passion for this particular field in Public Health. The first thing I want to do is to get an internship or a shadowing experience with an epidemiologist as soon as I get accepted into a graduate program. Finally I was able to have the opportunity to participate in Alternative Spring Break (ASB) in Washington D.C in XXX and it was a dream come true! I participated in an education project as well as a HIV/AIDS project. I enjoyed them both; but I was more passionate for the HIV/AIDS project on account of I wanted to see this horrible disease eradicated eventually from the world. That spring break was truly a humbling experience for me. I entered college wanting to play a significant role in the health care field and graduated knowing that Public Health- Epidemiology is what I want to do for the rest of my life.

I made a promise to myself that I would graduate suma cum lade for my graduate studies, and I intend to do so because of the passion that I have for Public Health. I have had the opportunity to meet several public health professionals since graduation. I met one professional and had the opportunity to research her work and studies that she has done in the field. Her experience in colon cancer and the Haitian diaspora has led me to plan on what goals I want to achieve. Short term wise- I would like to definitely intern/shadow an epidemiologist during my graduate studies starting locally and eventually to a federal level. Long-term wise having the opportunity to implement programs to assist minorities and different diaspora(s) in the Caribbean. I will then go on to pursue my PhD- Epidemiology and eventually open a clinic in my country Haiti.

I know that if I am admitted into the College of Public Health here at the XXX; I will excel in my masters. Several reasons have led me to want to pursue my graduate studies here at XXX; but the most important one is the passion for public health started right here on this campus for me. The College of Public Health- XXX played a significantly large role in this decision for me to pursue Epidemiology as a career and I want nothing more than to continue my graduate studies here on this campus- somewhere I have called home since January of 2008.

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