I have always been a "pedal to the metal" kind of girl. I was Texas A&M class of 2008, but I came in with a bunch of AP and community college credits, so I was scheduled to graduate a full year early. Not wanting to miss out on the full four-year "college experience," I signed up for the 4+1 program offered through the Biomedical Science office, figuring that getting a master's degree was a good way to spend my last year at A&M with my friends. But my public health education changed my career trajectory and my life. I quickly abandoned the idea of being a toxicologist and committed myself to the work of public health, which I quickly saw served my community and my country in a way that attacked the structures of injustice and unfairness. My career has been a winding road, but ten years after graduating I finally have my dream job at the CDC as a research epidemiologist in the Division of HIV Prevention - and could not be more grateful.
