Well that’s it. Two years sure flies by. And now, I’m sitting in my apartment surrounded by boxes, some packed and some waiting to be packed, eventually all will be shipped to Madison where I’ll begin my public health career. Sounds so mature, almost shocking for me.
To backtrack a little, my master’s project was fine and I felt very satisfied with the final result. The paper got better and better, right up to the end. The presentation, after I rehearsed it a few times, came together when it counted and I got a lot of positive feedback from my peers and some faculty, which felt really great. After the presentations were all done, faculty and students celebrated at a local pub which was a blast. And now all that is left are the goodbyes.
In reflecting on my time here at the U of M, two things are particularly striking. The first is the amount that I learned. Whether the admissions committee knew it or not, when they admitted me, they were admitting someone who was a good student and who was very interested in public health, but probably couldn’t tell you the difference between Medicare and Medicaid. I mean I didn’t know jack. To transform that person from that into someone who is accepted by a fellowship program with great opportunities is significant, and that’s a credit to both the program and myself, so I’ll give a pat on the back to both of us. I really was satisfied in the program’s ability to teach this material and provide some hands on experience and analysis of current health care policies.
The second thing is that at least for me, the program has planted this drive within me to continue to get better in this field. No doubt I will have a lot to learn in my position in Wisconsin and about real world public health practices. But after this education, I feel myself raring to go and not only gain that experience but get better as a professional as soon as I can and start setting some goals for myself. Maybe this isn’t the same for some of my peers, but I think this degree has taught me to be fired up about this field and that my own professional success will be tied to the success of programs and policies that promote health. That’s a motivating aspect that I really like.
Thanks to all of the faculty who helped me out. Thanks to my advisors at the U of M. Thanks to my family and friends for reading this blog. Thanks to everyone who supported me during these past four semesters. Thanks to you all who took the time to read this blog.
See you around.