Throughout high school, I was unsure what I wanted to major in, and then my college-level biology class came along. Everything I learned in the class not only made sense quickly to me but also interested me greatly. Taking a chance, I chose microbiology as my major since topics covering bacteria and viruses caught my eye the most. As I started getting into the specific classes for my major, I was confident that I had made the right decision in my education path. I woke up every day excited to learn and expand my knowledge, especially since high school only scratched the surface of the science world. I got involved with a creative inquiry on campus looking at the microbial species Bacteroides and its link to colon cancer. Over the past two years, …show more content…
From the start, many of my friends knew they wanted to be a physician's assistant or doctor, so I struggled with not knowing exactly what I wanted to do. I loved the hustle and bustle of hospital settings but couldn't handle the blood exposure needed for medical school. I also had done research internships for two summers, and while I enjoyed the work, I wanted my entire career to be in something other than research. Once I started looking into alternative healthcare pathways, I was immediately captivated by pharmacy. I had yet to learn how many different careers there are for pharmacists besides retail, and I was drawn to the patient care aspect of it. The fluidity of pharmacy with being able to switch between specialties easily and not having to choose a specific area of study in the four years of pharmacy school were significant positive aspects for …show more content…
With a major in microbiology, I have a vast knowledge of bacteria and viruses that may cause disease in people and presentable symptoms of these diseases. In addition, I am completing a certificate of public health which has taught me immense information about healthcare settings and how to provide the best care. My two research internships at the Veterans Hospital in Cleveland and The Medical University of South Carolina taught me many essential skills. In both settings, I faced setbacks and problems in experiments and learned the importance of going through every tiny detail to determine what went wrong. This also showed me the value of keeping meticulous and organized records so you can go back and see precisely what you did in an