As a first-generation college student at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, I experienced an enormous culture shock. The coursework was rigorous, and I felt alone with nobody to turn to for guidance. During my first semester in the fall of 2019, I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder. To help me adjust and manage stress, my academic advisor recommended I take a public health course through the Rothenberger Institute titled PUBH 1001: Success Over Stress. The class provided resources on preventing stress, implementing healthy coping behaviors, and taught me about the effects of chronic stress. This was my first exposure to the field of public health, and I was instantly curious to learn more. If one course could help me cope better with stress, improve my grades, and have a better understanding of my body, what else could public health do to help others? I enrolled in more public health courses and decided to make public health one of the three concentrations in my individualized degree plan. My ultimate goal was still to become a physician, but I believed that having a solid foundation in public health would broaden my perspective and provide me the clinical skills to address mental illness and wellness at both the individual and community levels. Until the spring of 2018, I managed my anxiety well through mindfulness, monthly therapy sessions, and medication. However, that year I spiraled. I was working more than 30 hours a week, taking 17 upper-division credits, volunteering, doing research, moving houses, and it all became too much for me to handle. My first long-term romantic relationship crumpled and a close friend of mine was diagnosed with OCD. My friend moved home and I lost part of my support system. I also felt like a failure for not being able to support her more during her treatment. In addition, I learned that my twin sister and I were donor-conceived and I grappled with my self-identity. Each of these experiences and situations presents unique stressors, but together they created a particularly large burden. I began to isolate myself. It was a very dark time for me and I felt so alone. It wasn't until the fall that I opened up to my psychiatrist and was diagnosed with depression. My psychiatrist was my greatest advocate; they helped me get set up in weekly group therapy, adjusted my medications, and overall made me feel understood. I felt respected and that's how I want my future patients to feel as well.

Studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina! It was the longest amount of time I've ever been away from my twin sister, but I became more independent and now I love going out of my comfort zone.

As a first-generation college student at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, I experienced an enormous culture shock. The coursework was rigorous, and I felt alone with nobody to turn to for guidance. During my first semester in the fall of 2019, I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder. To help me adjust and manage stress, my academic advisor recommended I take a public health course through the Rothenberger Institute titled PUBH 1001: Success Over Stress. The class provided resources on preventing stress, implementing healthy coping behaviors, and taught me about the effects of chronic stress. This was my first exposure to the field of public health, and I was instantly curious to learn more. If one course could help me cope better with stress, improve my grades, and have a better understanding of my body, what else could public health do to help others? I enrolled in more public health courses and decided to make public health one of the three concentrations in my individualized degree plan. My ultimate goal was still to become a physician, but I believed that having a solid foundation in public health would broaden my perspective and provide me the clinical skills to address mental illness and wellness at both the individual and community levels. Until the spring of 2018, I managed my anxiety well through mindfulness, monthly therapy sessions, and medication. However, that year I spiraled. I was working more than 30 hours a week, taking 17 upper-division credits, volunteering, doing research, moving houses, and it all became too much for me to handle. My first long-term romantic relationship crumpled and a close friend of mine was diagnosed with OCD. My friend moved home and I lost part of my support system. I also felt like a failure for not being able to support her more during her treatment. In addition, I learned that my twin sister and I were donor-conceived and I grappled with my self-identity. Each of these experiences and situations presents unique stressors, but together they created a particularly large burden. I began to isolate myself. It was a very dark time for me and I felt so alone. It wasn't until the fall that I opened up to my psychiatrist and was diagnosed with depression. My psychiatrist was my greatest advocate; they helped me get set up in weekly group therapy, adjusted my medications, and overall made me feel understood. I felt respected and that's how I want my future patients to feel as well. My experiences with anxiety and depression have had an enormous impression on my aspirations and career goals. My anxiety diagnosis lead me to the field of public health and sparked a curiosity in me. This fall I will begin a Master of Public Health program in epidemiology at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. In addition, my experiences with an amazing psychiatrist and positive therapy outcomes following my depression diagnosis have influenced me to pursue the field of psychiatry once I am accepted to medical school. As a result of my mental illness, I want to help others feel heard and have positive experiences like mine. I've also made it a mission of mine to ask my friends how they are really doing and make mental health a less taboo topic amongst our conversations.

As a first-generation college student at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, I experienced an enormous culture shock. The coursework was rigorous, and I felt alone with nobody to turn to for guidance. During my first semester, I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder. To help me adjust and manage stress, my academic advisor recommended I take a public health course through the Rothenberger Institute titled PUBH 1001: Success Over Stress. The class provided resources on preventing stress, implementing healthy coping behaviors, and taught me about the effects of chronic stress. This was my first exposure to the field of public health, and I was instantly curious to learn more. If one course could help me cope better with stress, improve my grades, and have a better understanding of my body, what else could public health do to help others? I enrolled in more public health courses and decided to make public health one of the three concentrations in my individualized degree plan. My ultimate goal was still to become a physician, but I believed that having a solid foundation in public health would broaden my perspective and provide me the clinical skills to address health and wellness at both the individual and community levels. Reflecting on my experiences growing up in a rural community, my family did not receive regular check-ups. A simple assumption would be that we did not think regular health maintenance was important. However, the real barriers were physical distance to a clinic and difficulty managing healthcare costs, especially after the recession. We were not outliers; this affected families across our community. I understand how addressing these community-level barriers is integral to providing healthcare in these communities, and it will ultimately help me provide better care overall to my future patients. I am passionate about public health because it plays an important role in preventing disease, promoting health, and managing illness. As a future physician, every patient will present with a unique life story influenced by biological, environmental, and social factors. To be an effective clinician, I want to help get to the root of their issues by providing long-term solutions to improve the health and quality of life of everyone in a community, not just a single patient. I believe pursuing a master’s in public health before medical school will give me the knowledge to proactively prevent illnesses and injuries, and ultimately keep the population healthy. Therefore, this fall I will begin a Master of Public Health program in epidemiology at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. As a future physician and public health professional, I wish to bring socially conscious care utilizing a whole-body approach to the medical field in Minnesota, and I am excited to begin my journey with the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

As a first-generation college student at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, I experienced an enormous culture shock. The coursework was rigorous, and I felt alone with nobody to turn to for guidance. During my first semester, I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder. To help me adjust and manage stress, my academic advisor recommended I take a public health course through the Rothenberger Institute titled PUBH 1001: Success Over Stress. The class provided resources on preventing stress, implementing healthy coping behaviors, and taught me about the effects of chronic stress. This was my first exposure to the field of public health, and I was instantly curious to learn more. If one course could help me cope better with stress, improve my grades, and have a better understanding of my body, what else could public health do to help others? I enrolled in more public health courses and decided to make public health one of the three concentrations in my individualized degree plan. My ultimate goal was still to become a physician, but I believed that having a solid foundation in public health would broaden my perspective and provide me the clinical skills to address mental illness and wellness at both the individual and community levels. Until the spring of 2018, I managed my anxiety well through mindfulness, monthly therapy sessions, and medication. However, that year I spiraled. I was working more than 30 hours a week, taking 17 upper-division credits, volunteering, doing research, moving houses, and it all became too much for me to handle. My relationships with my roommates deteriorated, my romantic relationship fell apart, and I began to isolate myself. It was a very dark time for me and I felt so alone. It wasn't until the fall that I opened up to my psychiatrist and was diagnosed with depression. My psychiatrist was my greatest advocate; they helped me get set up in weekly group therapy, adjusted my medications, and overall made me feel understood. I felt respected and that's how I want my future patients to feel as well. My experiences with anxiety and depression have had an enormous impression on my aspirations and career goals. My anxiety diagnosis lead me to the field of public health and sparked a curiosity in me. This fall I will begin a Master of Public Health program in epidemiology at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. In addition, my experiences with an amazing psychiatrist and positive therapy outcomes following my depression diagnosis have influenced me to pursue the field of psychiatry once I am accepted to medical school. As a result of my mental illness, I want to break the stigma, help others feel heard, and help others have positive experiences like mine.

As a first-generation college student at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, I experienced an enormous culture shock. The coursework was rigorous, and I felt alone with nobody to turn to for guidance. During my first semester, I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder. To help me adjust and manage stress, my academic advisor recommended I take a public health course through the Rothenberger Institute titled PUBH 1001: Success Over Stress. The class provided resources on preventing stress, implementing healthy coping behaviors, and taught me about the effects of chronic stress. This was my first exposure to the field of public health, and I was instantly curious to learn more. If one course could help me cope better with stress, improve my grades, and have a better understanding of my body, what else could public health do to help others? I enrolled in more public health courses and decided to make public health one of the three concentrations in my individualized degree plan. My ultimate goal was still to become a physician, but I believed that having a solid foundation in public health would broaden my perspective and provide me the clinical skills to address mental illness and wellness at both the individual and community levels. Until the spring of 2018, I managed my anxiety well through mindfulness, monthly therapy sessions, and medication. However, that year I spiraled. I was working more than 30 hours a week, taking 17 upper-division credits, volunteering, doing research, moving houses, and it all became too much for me to handle. My relationships with my roommates deteriorated, my romantic relationship fell apart, and I began to isolate myself. It was a very dark time for me and I felt so alone. It wasn't until the fall that I opened up to my psychiatrist and was diagnosed with depression. My psychiatrist was my greatest advocate; they helped me get set up in weekly group therapy, adjusted my medications, and overall made me feel understood. I felt respected and that's how I want my future patients to feel as well. My experiences with anxiety and depression have had an enormous impression on my aspirations and career goals. My anxiety diagnosis lead me to the field of public health and sparked a curiosity in me. This fall I will begin a Master of Public Health program in epidemiology at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. In addition, my experiences with an amazing psychiatrist and positive therapy outcomes following my depression diagnosis have influenced me to pursue the field of psychiatry once I am accepted to medical school. As a result of my mental illness, I want to help others feel heard and have positive experiences like mine.

COVID-19 has impacted my pathway to graduate study both professionally and personally. In April 2020, my hours working as a medical scribe were reduced. At the same time, my twin sister had a new job offer rescinded due to COVID-19. We shared an apartment and these changes added unexpected financial stress. I began looking for higher-paying jobs that would help me explore my interest in public health further. In June 2020, I was selected for a clinical chemistry research fellowship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, GA. I was thrilled for this prestigious opportunity as it has been a dream of mine to work there. My start date was originally August 17th, 2020, and I moved across the country in July. However, after moving I was informed that the CDC campus would remain closed due to increasing COVID-19 cases in the area. New fellows were no longer being onboarded and my start date was postponed indefinitely. I was crushed; I had no job, no savings after the expensive move, and no friends in the area other than my sister who moved in with me. These were my most helpless and isolated moments. However, I knew I could not continue down this path of questioning and I needed to take action. Bills had to be paid and wallowing in pity would get me nowhere. I began looking for new jobs and my outlook became more positive as I reflected on the experience. While the postponement was out of my control, I did have control over how I reacted to unexpected situations. In September 2020, I was ecstatic to accept a new position as a remote COVID-19 case investigator/contact tracer through the University of North Dakota in conjunction with the North Dakota Department of Health. My experiences educating cases and interrupting transmission chains solidified my interest in pursuing an MPH. Ultimately, 2020 was full of ups and downs, but it helped me find purpose and guided me into applying to graduate-level public health programs. Yesterday I was accepted to an MPH program in Community Health Promotion at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities School of Public Health. Moving forward, I'm thankful for the experiences I had in 2020 as they helped me find my passion.

COVID-19 has impacted my pathway to graduate study both professionally and personally. In April 2020, my hours working as a medical scribe were reduced. At the same time, my twin sister had a new job offer rescinded due to COVID-19. We shared an apartment and these changes added unexpected financial stress. I began looking for higher-paying jobs that would help me explore my interest in public health further. In June 2020, I was selected for a clinical chemistry research fellowship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, GA. I was thrilled for this prestigious opportunity as it has been a dream of mine to work there. My start date was originally August 17th, 2020, and I moved across the country in July. However, after moving I was informed that the CDC campus would remain closed due to increasing COVID-19 cases in the area. New fellows were no longer being onboarded and my start date was postponed indefinitely. I was crushed; I had no job, no savings after the expensive move, and no friends in the area other than my sister who moved in with me. These were my most helpless and isolated moments. However, I knew I could not continue down this path of questioning and I needed to take action. Bills had to be paid and wallowing in pity would get me nowhere. I began looking for new jobs and my outlook became more positive as I reflected on the experience. While the postponement was out of my control, I did have control over how I reacted to unexpected situations. In September 2020, I was ecstatic to accept a new position as a remote COVID-19 case investigator/contact tracer through the University of North Dakota in conjunction with the North Dakota Department of Health. My experiences educating cases and interrupting transmission chains solidified my interest in pursuing an MPH. Ultimately, 2020 was full of ups and downs, but it helped me find purpose and guided me into applying to graduate-level public health programs. Yesterday I was accepted to an MPH program in Community Health Promotion at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities School of Public Health. Moving forward, I'm thankful for the experiences I've had over the past 14 months as they helped me find my passion.