BHSc Alumni Spotlight

What is your favorite BHSc memory?

The day of our thesis presentations, my friends and I booked one of the library study rooms so we could hang out, support each other, prepare, and have a place to leave our bags during the presentation. It ended up being a really great day, and I think we all felt very supported before going into our presentations.

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself as a student?

It's never that serious. I know at the time, everything seems really important and serious, but looking back, very little actually is. It's okay to take it chill sometimes.

What is the best thing about your current job?

I'm researching things I'm super interested in. I loved law school and my articling job, but I really missed health policy.

How has your career evolved?

I entered BHSc with the intention of going to medical school. However, learning more about the social determinants of health and health policy made me more interested in that side of health. I also worked in the Health Technology Assessment Unit during undergrad, which increased my interest in health policy. So I instead decided to pursue law school. I went to the University of Ottawa because of their strong health law program. After law school, I articled at Calgary Legal Guidance, a non-profit law firm that provides pro bono support for people who don’t qualify for Legal Aid. I loved it and it was the best experience ever, but I missed health and health policy.

How did your BHSc degree help you get to where you are now/current career?

BHSc showed me how interesting health policy can be. Public health and health policy was a side of healthcare that I had never thought of, and it turned out to be the most interesting thing ever. Wanting to learn more about policy is what drove me to go to law school.

I think BHSc also gave me a lot of really great practical skills as well. A lot of my peers in law school had never written a paper longer than five pages, but I was prepared to do that because of BHSc. Presentations and public speaking also don't scare me anymore because we did so many.

What is the best piece of advice you have received during your career journey?

As cheesy as it is, some of the best advice I received is "if it's meant to be, it will work out". I've missed out on opportunities I thought I really wanted, only for something better to come up later. If it didn't work out, there was probably a reason for it. You will find your place eventually.