Flexibility and freedom

“What makes public health so different from any other career is that the options are endless. You can concentrate on one specific area—HIV prevention, for example—or focus on different areas as your interests evolve. Few fields offer that flexibility and freedom. In public health, there’s no reason to get stale. You also can come into it from any undergrad degree—my background was in Russian and linguistics, but I hit the ground running as quickly as everybody else and had just as much to offer.”

I knew on day one

“When I arrived for Accepted Students Day, I was still undecided. By the time I left, I was sure that SPH was the one. Everybody—faculty, students, staff, alumni—was so friendly and welcoming. Everybody was so passionate about the work they were doing. It seemed that everybody I met couldn’t wait to get to school or work. In part, it’s because everyone is so supportive of one another. SPH is a collaborative, not a competitive, environment—what public health is all about.”

Faculty dedicated to teaching

“The faculty at SPH aren’t just excited about the research they’re doing, they’re excited about teaching. They’re at SPH because they find interactions with students energizing and fruitful. They develop productive, mutually inspiring, collegial relationships with their students. To be honest, it wasn’t what I was expecting. I thought—big school, impersonal faculty. But it was the opposite. It’s a core support system in your life, even after you graduate.”