A Look into Community Health

What is your major and what year are you?

I am a sophomore studying Community Health, minoring in Spanish.

What made you choose your major and/or career path?

I’ve always been interested in science and for a time, I wanted to be an epidemiologist (“disease detective”). Then I went on a mission trip to Mexico to build a home and found out that the family needed a new house because their previous one has been infested with black mold. I saw the smog in the air there, the poor living conditions, lack of clean water, and how the country’s infrastructure would make it nearly impossible to access healthcare, especially for those living in rural areas. After that experience, I realized so much more went into health than just combating diseases and I’ve been pursuing community health ever since.

How has your on-campus involvement helped you market yourself to employers?

I’m involved in a lot of different activities on campus, so I think that shows employers that I am well-rounded and willing to try lots of things. I’m a member of Sitare (a South Asian dance club), yoga club, Nippon Culture Society, and Honors College. I have an on-campus job, serve as a Global Mentor as well as an Honors College mentor, and I’m a part of the track team. While I think it is important to be involved in things that are major-related, you can also get a lot of valuable experience when you step outside of your comfort zone or just do something for fun.  

What is your most memorable career-related experience?

An experience that I’ve had that has taught me skills I can use in any career would have to be the mission trips I’ve gone on to El Salvador. For the past two summers, I have traveled to El Salvador on a medical mission trip and mainly spend time with the children in the villages on play team, where we do games and crafts, have a toothbrush demonstration, and connect with the families. From this trip, I have learned how to stay calm under pressure, adjust to last-minute changes in plans and navigate cultural differences. I’ll be going on the trip again this summer, but for the past year, I’ve also been involved in the planning of the trip. I’ve learned how much coordination goes into arranging the purchase of medicine, finding transportation, fundraising, and marketing the trip to attract more volunteers. Going on these trips has not only been extremely rewarding for me but also taught me a lot and I know that when I enter the workforce, I’ll be even more prepared because of it.

I Didn't Fail, It Was a Learning Experience

This semester, I am entering my seventh year here at Hofstra University.  I started out as an eager first-year student, ready to delve into my students and get involved as much as possible in campus life. I declared my major as foreign language education, joined some clubs, and landed a job as an Undergraduate Assistant in the Career Center. Everything was great and my life was totally planned out...or so I thought.

As my sophomore year quickly approached, my position as the Career Center made me start to question my commitment to becoming a language teacher post-graduation. I was constantly surrounded by networking and employment opportunities that spoke to the Zarb Business School population and began to question my motives behind choosing a career path. Was I in it for money and job security? Was I the type of person who needed to wake up in the morning knowing that I was doing what I love? Did I need to help others to feel fulfilled? In search of these answers, I ended up switching my major to marketing and getting an offer to intern at Nasdaq for the summer. Once again, I felt like my life was totally planned and I was ready to go.

The summer of 2015 was an absolute disaster. I lasted THREE DAYS at my Nasdaq internship before realizing that Corporate America was not my scene. I quickly understood that I liked learning about business in a classroom setting but not actually working in that environment, which left me at a complete and total loss. I ended up begging for my job back at the Career Center and starting from square one.

After some serious soul searching, I realized that all my all my paths led me back to one spot: The Career Center! Although I am forever grateful for my Hofstra education, my most profound learning happened through my experiential learning opportunities. I discovered that I belonged in the field of Higher Education through my work in the Career Center, and that I very much did not belong on Wall Street as a result of my experience at Nasdaq. Seven years later, I am a full-time Career Advisor in the very same space that gave me my first experiential learning opportunity and I still love what I do.

So, as you embark on this new semester, my parting words of wisdom are these: Experiential learning is key! Take advantage of every opportunity that allows you to gain experience within your field. As intimidating as starting your career may be, you should never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game!

Sabrina Iaria
Career Advisor, Liaison to the Frank G. Zarb School of Business

Does Your Path Spark Joy?

Last week, Sabeen talked about how she changed her major multiple times only to end up on the path she felt was right for her. It all worked out for Sabeen and hopefully it will work out for me as well! 

As a recent Hofstra graduate (2017), I remember my senior year constantly feeling the stress when I hear of all of my peers going on job interviews and signing their contracts, and I had NO clue where to start. I was soon going to be holding my BBA in Marketing and had no idea what I wanted to do with it. I went on a bunch of interviews and nothing felt right. 
I ended up landing a position at a small, family-run project management firm in NYC as the Executive Assistant to the CEO. It ended up being the most amazing first job I could have dreamed of. I loved working for a small company because while my title was Executive Assistant, I was handling all of their marketing, which I was able to brag about on my resume. Eventually I got brought into the swing of project management and got promoted to assist with client projects. 

I still felt something was missing. I would work 9-5 and go home and ask myself "now what?". I tried to volunteer locally, looked for local part-time jobs, I needed to fill my extra time because that's how I am! A year after graduating I decided to apply for graduate school, do a complete u-turn in my career path, and got into the Higher Education Leadership & Policy Program here at Hofstra. 

SURPRISE! I want to work in student affairs because of what Hofstra gave me during my undergraduate years. Hofstra gave me joy and inspiration and being here doesn't feel like a 9-5 to me. So what I hope you get out of my story is that it is OKAY to change your path and it doesn't matter WHEN you decide to change your path! 

As Marie Kondo would say, do what sparks joy for you! 

Kari Schaefer
Graduate Marketing Assistant