I decided I wanted to work in global public health on a faculty-led trip to Guatemala. My geography education at UMW included the opportunity to work closely with professors, and once I had decided what I was interested in, those professors who were mentoring and teaching me provided every avenue possible to help me develop my passion. I was able to take independent studies and readings courses tailored to my interests in international development and global public health. I wrote my senior seminar paper on women’s health in Nunavut and look at the disparities for an indigenous population in Canada. It didn’t matter that it wasn’t a “traditional” path in the department; what mattered was that I had found an area of geography I was passionate about and excelled in.
Because of the strong mentoring relationships and academic rigor of classwork I experienced in the department, continuing for my Master of Public Health was an easy decision. I was well-prepared for coursework in grad school, and I was able to gain a strong understanding of what I was looking for in the field of international development. It took some interesting steps to get to the right job, but my major helped me understand how to be a global citizen of the world and how to appreciate and understand communities and cultures which play a critical role in successful global health projects.