{"id":13064,"date":"2026-02-05T19:43:51","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T19:43:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/admissions-aid\/admission-blog\/?p=13064"},"modified":"2026-02-05T19:43:51","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T19:43:51","slug":"studying-healthcare-at-furman-is-about-more-than-medicine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/admissions-aid\/admission-blog\/studying-healthcare-at-furman-is-about-more-than-medicine\/","title":{"rendered":"Studying Healthcare at Furman Is About More Than Medicine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amiya Young always knew she wanted to work in healthcare. Her goal was clear long before she arrived at Furman University<\/span><\/span>: become a physical therapist and help people heal.<\/p>\n

What she did not expect was how college would expand that goal.<\/p>\n

At Furman, Amiya discovered that healthcare is not just about science and movement. It is about people, communities, and the systems that shape their lives. And that realization changed everything.<\/p>\n

Health Science Major Opens Doors for Amiya<\/span><\/h2>\n

Health Sciences<\/a> felt like the right place to start. The major offered a clear pathway toward physical therapy while still giving Amiya room to explore questions that mattered to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been drawn to the health field,\u201d she shared. \u201cHealth Sciences gave me a direct path to my career goals, but also the flexibility to explore other interests.\u201d<\/p>\n

That flexibility led her to add a minor in Poverty Studies, allowing her to study healthcare alongside social and economic realities.<\/p>\n

Instead of asking her to narrow her focus, Furman encouraged her to connect it.<\/p>\n

Amiya Learns Not to Limit Her Passions<\/span><\/h2>\n

One of the most influential moments in Amiya\u2019s journey came through mentorship.<\/p>\n

A Health Sciences professor who also serves on the Travelers Rest City Council showed her that science and service can exist side by side.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing her balance a demanding science career while actively serving the community was incredibly inspiring,\u201d Amiya said. \u201cShe showed me that I don\u2019t have to choose between my passions.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a student preparing for a future in healthcare, that message mattered. It showed her that purpose does not have to be postponed and that impact can start now.<\/p>\n

When Class Projects Leave the Classroom<\/span><\/h2>\n

That idea became real during a summer research internship.<\/p>\n

Amiya researched the effects of gentrification on a historically Black neighborhood in Greenville, studying how changes in housing and development affect real people and real access to resources. Then she did something many students never get the chance to do.<\/p>\n

She presented her findings to a local nonprofit.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was powerful to see my academic work have a direct, positive impact,\u201d she shared.<\/p>\n

For Amiya, that moment changed how she viewed college. Learning was no longer just preparation for the future. It was already making a difference.<\/p>\n

Getting Ready for the Real World Early<\/span><\/h2>\n

Amiya\u2019s internships have taken her into sports medicine, community research, and fast paced professional environments. Each one pushed her to adapt quickly, communicate clearly, and work as part of a team.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey threw me into dynamic environments,\u201d she said. \u201cI had to learn project management, clear communication, and teamwork on the fly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those experiences gave her confidence not just in her career path, but in herself.<\/p>\n

Why This Matters for Future Students<\/span><\/h2>\n

Amiya\u2019s story is not about having everything figured out. It is about discovering that college can help you connect what you care about with what you want to do.<\/p>\n

Furman challenged her academically, supported her personally, and surrounded her with people who encouraged growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cFurman was the first place that truly pushed me to my full potential,\u201d she shared. \u201cThat challenge gave me a new level of confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Amiya Young always knew she wanted to work in healthcare. Her goal was clear long before she arrived at Furman University: become a physical therapist and help people heal. What she did not expect was how college would expand that goal. At Furman, Amiya discovered that healthcare is not just about science and movement. It […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":13068,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[107,110,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-careers-and-internships","category-research","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/admissions-aid\/admission-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/admissions-aid\/admission-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/admissions-aid\/admission-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/admissions-aid\/admission-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/admissions-aid\/admission-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13064"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/admissions-aid\/admission-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13064\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13067,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/admissions-aid\/admission-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13064\/revisions\/13067"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/admissions-aid\/admission-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/admissions-aid\/admission-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/admissions-aid\/admission-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/admissions-aid\/admission-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}