Some Thoughts From A Public Health Major!

Hi guys! For this week’s blog, I thought it would be awesome to give you guys a glimpse into something besides my psychology and sociology major and the other things I’m involved with on campus. I had a little Q&A session with my roommate, Mia Saltrelli, to learn more about her major and what her experience would be like so far! Below you’ll find all her answers!

1. Introduction

1. 1. Name: Mia Saltrelli
   2. Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
   3. Year: Junior
   4. Major: Public Health
2. How did you find out about your major?
   • “I found out about my major through an upperclassmen who was in the public health major. Once I heard about it, I learned more about it through an information session that the department held. They outlined their requirements for the major and also had current majors talking about their experiences. I’m really interested in health outcomes and the upstream approach that public health takes is a very efficient way to improve health outcomes.”
3. What’s your favorite class that you’ve taken within your department?
   • “Introduction to Public Health with Dr. Criss for sure. It gave a great overview of the main public health concepts, which confirmed that I wanted to be a public health major. Dr. Criss taught through a lot of real-world examples and used good context for how the material we learned applied to the real-world. It was really eye-opening and made me want to learn.”
4. Who is your closest mentor in your department & what is your favorite memory associated with them?
   • “My closest mentor is Dr. Slining, who is my advisor. My favorite memory was interacting with her through the Cothran Center. She facilitated us through mindfulness practices. It was really nice to get to know her outside of an academic setting.”
5. Describe a high impact learning experience that you had the opportunity to participate in within your major?
   • “For one of my elective classes in the public health major, we got to work throughout the semester with the Medical Legal Partnership and learn about their processes. We got to observe a court case for one of their clients, which was really cool. It showed me how much public health interventions can affect the lives of people in the Greenville community.”
6. Describe study away opportunities that an individual in your major could take advantage of?
   • “There is a public health track at DIS Stockholm, which I will get to participate in next semester! There is also a study away program to Southern Africa that focuses on Public Health and a couple of May Experiences. There are so many study away opportunities that Furman can help you navigate that there is for sure something out there for you!”
7. What unique opportunities does your department offer?
   • “All public health majors complete a capstone experience the summer before their senior year. In the fall of their senior year, they get to take a class where they analyze what they learned in the capstone experience and think critically about what they want to do in the future.”
8. What’s your best study hack/trick/advice?
   • “Go to a place where you can be focused, whether that’s on or off campus. I would just say to stay out of your room. You don’t want to get comfortable, that’s where I find myself to be unproductive.”
9. How do you hope to utilize this major in the future?
   • “I want to work in public health for a couple of years. There are so many possibilities with a public health major, so I’m not entirely sure what I want to pursue.”
10. Lastly, what’s your favorite thing about being a public health major?
    • “It’s a tight-knit community between the declared students and the faculty. There is a lot of faculty support and the other students in the major get to know everyone pretty well.”

I hope it was interesting to get to hear from someone in a different major! I know for me I always appreciate hearing from other students as I was deciding what I wanted to major in!

Best,

Angel:)