A few years ago, I didn’t even realize that Public Health was a something you could get a degree in. So, in some ways, it’s a bit surprising that I’ve ended up in the Public Health Science Program here at USG. But now I can see that it was a perfect fit all along.

In high school, I was absolutely certain I was going to be a teacher. I wasn’t sure what grade or specialty I was interested in, so I planned to figure that out along the way. I ended up at Towson and chose to start pursuing a degree in early childhood education. All of the sudden, I wasn’t sure that’s what I wanted. I also really loved psychology and sociology. By my second semester at Towson, I found myself contemplating switching my major. Unsure of what to do, I left Towson for Montgomery College. At Montgomery College, I took some science courses while working towards my Associate’s Degree. Yet again, I found my interests changing. This time I was thinking, “wouldn’t a career in medicine be awesome?” But I also wasn’t sold on the idea of going to nursing or medical school.

Around this time, I attended an open house at the Universities at Shady Grove since it happened to be right by my house and I wanted to see what USG had to offer. This is where I finally learned about the Public Health Science program. As I spoke with people from the program, I realized that Public Health combines all of my interests into a single major and career field! Interacting with people and teaching them how they can live healthier lives is a big part of Public Health. This aspect of the field would fulfill the desires I still had from wanting to be a teacher/ psychologist/ sociologist. At the same time, the Public Health Science program really is a science program. I get to take courses on infectious and chronic diseases, epidemiology, and much more. To me, Public Health Science is the perfect balance between all of my interests.

I began the program in Fall 2013 and will be graduating this upcoming May. You might wonder if I’m going to change my mind, yet again. And the answer is… nope! As I learn more about the different subcategories and specialties of public health, I’m even more in love with my major. I may not be completely sure where my degree will take me when I graduate (I hope it’s a Masters of Public Health program that specializes in Environmental Health!), but I do know I’ve made the right choice by coming to USG and choosing the Public Health Science program.

Want to know more about Public Health? ThisIsPublicHealth.org is a good place to start.