Major: Kinesiology - Health Sciences concentration

Before coming to Rice, I had always wanted to be a pediatrician. I loved children, found Anatomy/Physiology in high school interesting, and wanted to help people. Given my background as an only child raised by two immigrant parents, pediatrics seemed to be only option that met my interests while achieving financial stability. When selecting a major, I knew I was not particularly passionate about Biology or Chemistry, and upon examining all the majors present at Rice, Kinesiology really stuck out. Being a Kinesiology major at Rice allowed me the flexibility to learn about science, while also exploring fields like Public Health, Sociology, and even Religion. 

This past summer, I interned at Legacy Community Health as a Health Advocate and that was a perfect fit for my interests. My day to day consisted of screening patients for any needs related to food, transportation, housing, and utilities and then following up with them to make sure they were connected to community resources. I had always wanted to do this type of internship but never had the time or privilege of doing it unpaid. During my interview, I learned that I could work as an AmeriCorps member and receive a stipend while working. I am so grateful for that experience because it taught me three things. It first confirmed my passion for community health and finding ways to impact populations I am passionate about. Second, working in a clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic made me realize I feel uncomfortable working around contagiously sick people but also that the times when people are sick are when they need the most help in other areas, such as those I helped with during my internship. Lastly, social justice has always been my passion. With the disparities of the pandemic and with police brutality and racial tension continuing to rise, it has opened my eyes to a lot of gaps that we have in society, especially within the health care system, and whatever I can contribute to help close that gap is what I aim to do with my life.

This semester, I will apply to a variety of Master’s programs in Public Health, and I will continue to ignite my passion of serving my community as President of the Rice African Student Association. Through this role, I hope to gain a better understanding of what it means to work for the betterment of others. I believe that this role, my internship, and the variety of classes and academic experiences I have had at Rice prepared me for a future career in Public Health.