Outstanding Student Caitlyn Truong

Q: Why did you decide to major in health studies? 

Caitlyn: I knew I was interested in health from the beginning, I took health classes in high school, and I knew that I liked to deal with people. And I also started getting less shy, I really opened up in high school. I joined a lot of clubs and I really liked interacting with people and meeting new ones. I knew health studies had to deal with people, leadership policy and things like that, so I chose health studies for that specific reason. 

I know that I want to focus on a non-clinical path now, because the clinical path deals with a lot more science and math, and I feel like I'm not that type of person. I think I'm more leadership oriented. 
 

Q: Could you explain the difference between clinical and non-clinical paths when choosing a health career? 

Caitlyn: A clinical path is more specific, and you would have to go through much more schooling. Some careers, that I could use as an example, are a surgeon or a pediatrician. As for non-clinical, I feel like it deals more with people and it's more organizational, dealing with the non-clinical aspects of health. I also feel like it would be easier for me to handle the workload. 

Q: Are you considering any specific career paths after you graduate? 

Caitlyn: I think I'm probably going to go into either policy or social services concentration, those are the two that really interested me. I don't have a specific career path yet, I’m still trying to figure it out, but I do know what concentrations I'm interested in health studies and hopefully that will get me to choose my career path in the future. 

Q: Do you feel that you will be able to make a difference if you choose a career in health with a non-clinical focus? 

Caitlyn: I definitely think so. Not just in Stockton, but in lots of places in California and in the U.S., there is a lot of progress to be made relating to health care and policies and things like that. I feel like a lot of it is controversial nowadays. Everything is mixed in with politics, and it's just really confusing for some people. From what I've seen, I think there should be a lot more change in health care in general, so hopefully one day, I will be able to do that. 
 

Q: Have you considered double-majoring or adding a minor? 

Caitlyn: I have met quite a few people in my current classes that are also double-majoring. The other major is usually really similar to health like biology. 

One of the other reasons I chose health studies was how very broad it was, so I have more options, especially since I'm more undecided about my career right now, I think having options is good. 

Q: When you came to study at Pacific, was there anything that really stood out for you? 

Caitlyn: The thing that stood out to me most during the orientation week was meeting lots of people who were from outside of Stockton, which was really weird to me because, for some reason, I was in that mindset that only people who live in Stockton go to Pacific. There were people who came a really long way from home to attend Pacific. I thought it was really cool, too, that I got to meet people from all different backgrounds and geographical locations.