School of Public Health Student Ambassadors Program

Editor's note: This semester, the School of Public Health launched a new  one-credit undergraduate course called the "School of Public Health Ambassador Program" (SPHL298A) in which students who are passionate  about public health engage in activities designed to attract new students to the School of Public Health. Each student will contribute to the Healthy Turtle blog this semester to provide a window into what's important to School of Public Health undergraduate students.

From the SPH to the “real world”

By Lily Panah

Senior Community Health major, Persian Studies minor

Lily Panah presenting her poster at the 2012 National Cancer Institute Scientific Investigators Retrea

At the School of Public Health, we always joke that we are a "discovery major." People come to the university either undecided or with a different declared major, but later end up discovering the SPH. I am a perfect example of this situation. I have always been passionate about science and health, and was fairly certain I’d want to pursue a career in that field. Growing up with immigrant parents who have never heard of any of the non-traditional majors offered at American universities, I came into college as a Biology major- what my family and I thought of as the only logical choice for anyone interested in the health sciences. Although I was building a very strong foundation in the life sciences, I quickly found that I desperately missed studying the social sciences and needed something that would quench my thirst for studying people and communities, while also studying health. It was then that I discovered the School of Public Health.

In my first semester, I found that the school was a perfect fit for me. As a Community Health major, I loved all my classes, got to know most of my professors (even in larger lectures), and I couldn’t believe that in a school so large, I still felt like I was getting so much help and guidance in terms of advising. One aspect of the school that I am perhaps most grateful for is the wealth of resources, such as the constant motivating emails for students about rewarding opportunities. It was through an SPH list-serve that I found my internship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that I have been doing for fifteen months now, and it is without a doubt one of the best experiences I have ever had. I still remember the day I saw an email about an event at the career center specifically for SPH students. I was swamped with studying for midterms and I almost didn’t go to the event, I was sure I wouldn’t get an internship anyway. To this day, I am SO grateful that I went (moral of the story- have faith in yourself and try, try, try!).

I met a recruiter from the NIH and applied for a position. A few weeks later, I was contacted for an interview at the National Cancer Institute. After three rounds of interviews, I got the position, and was hired to be part of the Student Career Experience Program. I started in January 2011, and in the fifteen months I have been here, I have learned so much. It is my first dose of the “real world” and I absolutely love it. It is also very exciting to use skills I have learned in my classes at the SPH (health behavior theories, how to plan and implement surveys and focus groups, epidemiology), and apply them in a real-world setting.

Next semester I am completing my full time internship as my final requirement for my Community Health degree. With the help of my supervisor at NCI, I was able to interview for positions in other divisions, and have secured a wonderful internship for the fall. I have also been extremely lucky and have been offered the opportunity to convert to a full-time federal employee in my current office once I graduate in December (YAY!!!). I have absolutely loved my experience at the School of Public Health, and I’m so grateful for all of the opportunities I have been given here. I know that my undergraduate experience has prepared me for a successful career as a public health professional in the “real world," and I strongly encourage all students of the school to really take advantage of the countless resources and opportunities offered here. With only one semester left, I can truly say that my only regret about the SPH is that I didn’t know about it sooner!