As a freshman coming to WOU, I declared pre-nursing as my major. But, within a few months, I knew it wasn’t what I wanted. I quickly made my decision to turn to community health. I wanted to help keep people healthy – not just help people who were already sick. Specifically, I wanted to prevent illness through education and accessibility to programs. I’ve loved health for as long as I can remember – I was the weird one in that mandatory high school health class, sitting in the front row, actively participating.

Making the switch to community health was the best decision I’ve ever made in my college career. Not only have I been able to study my favorite topic (and get a degree in it), but I’ve also had an irreplaceable experience because of the HEXS faculty.

I’ve had the opportunity to be both a research and a teaching assistant multiple times, and I’m currently the president of the Community and Family Health Organization (the CHE club on campus). All these experiences have aided in my success and ultimately led me to my decision to apply to grad school.

I remember meeting with my professor Dr. Vala-Haynes at the start of my junior year, and the first conversation I had with her was “Hi, I want to go to Johns Hopkins for grad school, how do I get there?”

Fast forward a couple years and I am going to be starting at Johns Hopkins this upcoming Fall in their MSPH program in Population, Family, and Reproductive Health. To say my wildest dreams came true when I was accepted to Johns Hopkins is an understatement – it still hasn’t hit me as a reality, even though I’m moving to Baltimore in three months!

If I were to give any advice to incoming students, it would be to work hard and make connections. Oh, and go to class!!! Sometimes your attendance and participation can make or break a grade.

In all honesty, I credit my success to the faculty here at WOU. They always pushed me to do better work and get more involved. Using connections with faculty and all the other resources provided on campus can lead to amazing opportunities.

Students should really put themselves out there and initiate those conversations with faculty. They’ve been in our shoes and are an amazing resource. I plan to move back to Oregon after completing grad school, in hopes of working for the state. That being said, I’m really excited for my next adventure in Baltimore!