Hello class. In this video we will be talking to a health side students
Can you go ahead and introduce yourself. Yeah. So my name is Nayelie Benitez. I'm a fourth year health state health science student here at Cal State Fullerton. Awesome.
And what career. Are you currently interested in. Currently I'm interested in pursuing epidemiology.
Awesome. So, and I le is currently applying to programs in epidemiology and public health. So I wanted to have her speak to you as a class.
To hear more about how she has prepared for this process of applying to graduate school. So aside from all the mechanics of applying
Of taking the GRE, writing the statement of purpose, those things that you are already familiar with. I wanted her to talk more about the experiences that she's had outside of the classroom. Although within the classroom. She has taken this class.
So I only just what is when experience that kind of stands out for you of the many things that you have done to outside of the classroom to prepare for graduate school.
Um, I would say my participation in the Big Data program here at Cal State Fullerton. I feel like that's where the program that really got me interested in pursuing epidemiology and graduate school.
Initially, I wanted to go into nursing as a career. And so I in high school I got certified as a nurse assistant.
And so I worked in that for a couple years, and I'm still working in the health field. I work as an EMT and emergency room.
But through my different experiences and what I've witnessed in the hospital setting, I realized that I wanted to do more population based work. So that's why I joined BD3 and through that I've been able to gain skills and like
Statistical analysis and work on like research based projects so that I feel like I would say that's the experience that has like shaped me more towards graduate school sort of nursing, um,
And can you say this a little bit more like what is that program. Yeah, so that program is for I believe incoming juniors and seniors.
Who are interested in allied health careers, I guess, but more towards focus on big data. So working with big data sets and research. So the project that I'm working on is
With Dr. Shehrestani she's a evolutionary biologist and Dr. Behseta who's a statistician
And with their help. I've been able to learn how to code, which is something I never thought I would be able to do or would be interested in
As well as like learning how to work with data and analyze it. So, and I have also had the opportunity to do research at USC with
a neuroscientist. And so, yeah.
Wow. So it does sound like a very intense program. Um, did you have to apply for that?
Yes. Um, I don't remember all the criteria but um yes you do have to have a certain GPA and you have to submit a personal statement as to what you want to do it as career wise as well as like what interests you about the program and, more specifically, big data.
So it was kind of like a mini grad school application to join that.
Yes, exactly.
Yeah, and it did feel like that because it's a selective program, they only take six students. So I feel like
I'm, I'm not sure that a lot of students are interested in big data. But of those who are the there's only a select amount that they choose from. Yeah
Thank you. And I know you also participated in another
Competitive Program. This past summer, can you tell us more about your experience at UCLA and
Maybe how that was different from the research that you just described. Yeah, so I UCLA. I feel like it was more applied so
In big data. I was like, oh, I want to do everything, geology, but then when I was at UCLA. I'll say, oh, well, I want to do. Epidemiology in this area of interest. So, um,
Yeah, we got partnered with an organization and we got to intern there since week one, and that was only three days of the week. And then for two of them. We got
Lectures and got to talk to, like, professionals on the workforce and public health and we really got to
Ask questions that like we're dying to know how in regards to like a will we have graduate school within what do we do next. And we're so like the work
Force and what kind of skills. They're looking for and how to not just be a graduate student, but go above of what is expected so that it is easier when you're out in the workforce looking for a job.
Awesome. And so the name of that program was the UCLA public health scholars training program and it was funded through the CDC through the Office of Minority Health
And also we got to go to Atlanta and go to the CDC, which was really cool. Yeah, because I well for me. I wanted to go into epidemiology. So I got to speak with epidemiologists, as well as just get to see what the CDC is
So, so the first program was a research.
Research one that was based here at Cal State Fullerton. And even though you got to spend the summer doing research at USC and then the second one was at UCLA, but it was open to anyone in the country. Right.
It was funded by the CDC. So that's what you got to go there.
Um, are there any other opportunities that you have been involved in kind of more
Locally just here at Cal State Fullerton on campus or in the local community. Yeah. So actually, through allied health Academy
So I did an internship and then the internship internship site that I did. That was the Center for Healthy neighborhoods.
So the Center offers resources to low income minority families in Fullerton and well actually like neighboring cities as well because I know I worked with a couple families who weren't from Fullerton. Hmm. And that almost a both like
More like community based but it was also research base because the project that I was part of was collecting data on the families that we spoke with and
I feel like that was another opportunity that I had that allowed me to see like what kind of communities. I wanted to work with and why and really get to hear people's stories and why this type of work is important.
Yeah, that's cool. So you got to work directly with people who live in Florida and and the surrounding areas to understand what their challenges are to being healthy. Yes.
Okay. So those were some great experiences research and leadership so competitive some, you know, as part of an internship.
I do know that you've also had some clinical experiences you did talk about it a little bit. Have you been
Involved. Have you been working in the health field. The whole time I've been in college. Yes, I'm actually before I was in college, I started my senior year of high school and up until now. Yeah, so the whole time you've been gaining work experience in the health field and
Within the past few years, adding on these different
research community internship type programs. Okay. And lastly, have you been involved in any on campus clubs or organizations. Yes. So allied health Academy is one of them.
Organizations, so I'm also majoring in gerontology so I'm part of the gerontology honor society and
Through that I've gotten to like more actually because of my minor. I have to get involved with the gerontology field which is I also think is important because
I feel like the older adults don't really get a lot of, I don't know, there's not a lot of focus and then as
We've learned in our classes that the baby boomer generation is growing and you know people are just getting older. So I think it's important to know how to work with that.
But people because sometimes it can be challenging as I've seen as like in the clinical experiences, you know, that's why I wanted to meet minor in it because
Then when I wanted to do clinical work. I knew that I would be encountering populations. Yeah, so that, um, I think that's a great point that you're making that by being in the field, even in a clinical setting that has informed your decision to
Study certain things and your interest in studying certain things has also led you to get involved in, like other organizations and experiences. So, um,
I guess to kind of close things out. How do you think these different experiences have prepared you to apply for graduate school versus, you know, just taking the classes because
You know it is one thing to go to class and understand the material and do well and whatnot. But what was the difference for you in
Just being a student, but in comparison to being a student involved in all these different things. Yeah. Um, I think when we go to class we learn about certain concepts and topics.
But then I mean you go home and you study it, but it's different when it's applied and you actually get to see
The stuff that you're like when you're out and doing all these things. You're like, oh, that's what my professor was talking about, or you know just applying it and seeing how like
That's how, like, I guess, knowledge and education evolves and grows because you go out and you go through all these experiences and then you go back and whether you want to improve certain
Like knowledge that's out there through research or just like even like I know
A lot of the nurses at my work. Want to go back to school because they only want to public health because they see, what they see and because I work in the emergency room and they want to go and improve things that are currently not in
Not as good as they should be. So I think having. It's good to be in school and do good, but you also have to go out and apply your knowledge and then also gain from experiences.
Yeah, yeah, I really like how you frame that because it's really applied. It's not just, oh, do all these things to fill up your resume. Right. Yes. It's nice to Build a Resume, but you're doing it with the intention of this is what's going to inform your future career and
make an impact not only in that job that you have. But then in the broader community, right, because you're mentioning the nurses that you've worked with
Want to go into public health because they're, when they're there on the ground on a daily basis. They're seeing the structural or larger organization on issues that are
That have the same people showing up to the emergency room. Yeah, right. Definitely. Yeah. And like you said.
In regards to like being applied like and not just filling up your resume. I think it shows like when you are applying to graduate school like
If you go and do stuff that you really didn't care for, but just wanted to fill up your resume. I think it's going to be harder to talk about
Because you're not passionate about it in regards to whether you start because a lot of I've been able to progress and progress to the opportunities that I've had because I started
With my interest either volunteering, because I also volunteer although I was when I first started, I was at a nursing home and but I wanted to learn more about like acute care setting. So I'm joined the coach program.
And through that experience. I got to see more of what it is to be in a short term like care system.
versus long term. And so all of them started as a volunteer. And then I was able to progress and do internships and then
Up to where I am now. But I think the reason why I feel strong when applying to graduate programs is because all those experiences are important to me and they also are relatable to my own experiences the health system and you know being a minority students
I love that that's ultimately what I'm hoping we can accomplish with the students in this class and just in general, where they're able to connect what they're learning in class with a future career, but also with their own lived experiences as an individual. So thank you very much.
I wish you all the best of luck with your graduate school applications as the students who are watching this can probably tell, you're very passionate about the work that you're doing and it shows
From the different experiences that you've been involved in that it has shaped and informed your future graduate school. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
