Health Careers Guide

INTERVIEWS WITH ALUMNI

Leah Friedman '15

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What was your major as an undergraduate? Did you ever switch your major? What made you decide to choose your particular major?
I was a Health Sciences Premed Major for my freshman and sophomore years of college. I at that point wanted to go to PA school and wanted to pursue a medical career. I decided after taking Organic Chemistry that I wasn’t very good at those types of courses and chose to switch my major to Public Health. I knew that I wanted to help people, wanted to be in the medical field but needed a career that would allow me to do so without having to use Chemistry. Public Health fit all of those criteria because I am first and foremost a people person. Community health allowed me to address the needs and health of a population without having to physically treat anyone. At the same time I was also a Nutrition Minor and was able to get some of the more clinical sides of health that I desired.

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What led to your current career? Was it due to past professional experiences? Past successes/failures? Opportunities that IC presented you with such as clubs/activities/volunteer work?

I had several mentors in the HPPE department of HSHP and they were all in Public Health. This led me to go get my Masters in Public Health in Social Behavior and Community Health from UAlbany in 2017. After graduation I began working for a non-profit called the Food Pantries for the Capital District. We are a coalition of food pantries in Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady County working together to feed the hungry. We provide a forum of networking, coordination of services, education and training for pantry staff and volunteers.
My experience with my nutrition minor and my internships with breastfeeding in grad school led me to be interested in hunger and helping prevent hunger in NY. I had many failures trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I switched my major, I failed classes, I changed my mind about where I wanted to end up and I lost out on jobs I wanted.
When I was at IC I was involved in so many clubs. My favorite was Guiding Eyes for the Blind. I was president my senior year and I raised three yellow labs while I was there. I think being responsible for a dog who would one day be responsible for someone else is one of the reasons I chose to go to Public Health. It is also one of my favorite things about Ithaca.
 
I had lunch everyday with Ann Byrne, my favorite professor. I made my lifelong friends at IC and I would not have ended up in this career path without the start that I got there.

What does a typical day look like for you?

A typical day for me starts with me making breakfast for me and my dog. I usually get to work by about 7:30am. I check my emails, voicemails, check in with the drivers who deliver the food to the pantries, and look at the schedule for the day. Every day in the non-profit world is slightly different. I may have a staff meeting with my coworkers, my office has 5 of us full time individuals, 3 drivers, and 3 volunteers. I also may have to go do outreach at a community event, meet with a pantry coordinator, go to a member pantry meeting, or meet with the board. There is always food to be delivered, always a food drive or fundraiser going on and always a problem to fix. With very little money and very little time, you learn to be creative. This is a field you choose because you love to help people not because you want to do it for fun.

What do you like/dislike about your career? About the field?

I love that every day is different. I love that I am always working with new community agencies and always working to help people who are hungry get help. I spend a lot of my day answering referral phone calls for individuals looking for their closest food pantry. We also provide a resource guide for clothes, furniture, food and anything else anyone may need. I love when I help someone find what they are looking for how appreciative they can be.

What have you learned being in your particular field?

I have learned so much knowledge that I can only use being in the field for the hungry. I have learned how to schedule trucks to deliver food from the Food Bank to the pantries. I have learned food safety skills, I have learned portion sizes for a pantry, I have learned how a grant is issued to a pantry, requirements to serve clients, and much much more.

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Madeline Haftel '17

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What was your major as an undergraduate? Did you ever switch your major? What made you decide to choose your particular major?

I was a Public and Community Health major with an Interdisciplinary concentration (pre-med track) with a minor in Writing. I started as a Health Pre-Professional. I went with Public Health when I learned about the versatility of the major (it allowed me to keep my writing minor and take the science classes I need), and through some inspiration brought forth by the HPPE department. 

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What led to your current career? Was it due to past professional experiences? Past successes/failures? Opportunities that IC presented you with such as clubs/activities/volunteer work?

My current career is actually in health administration. With all of my experience from undergrad. in research, shadowing, working as a technician at the hospital, doing a deep dive into the public health world, etc., I felt like there was more to explore when I graduated. I deferred my Physician Assistant school seat to take an administrative health fellowship at Cornell Health and have since decided to pursue a Masters in Health Administration at Cornell. I tried being as honest with myself as I could when I was getting ready to make the PA school decision; once I was able to be honest with myself, I knew it wasn't the path I really wanted to take, so I explored this option with the help of Dr. Edwards. 

What does a typical day look like for you?

The working life has really been a huge adjustment from undergrad. I wake up at 6:00 AM every business day, go for an hour run/work-out, shower, and get to work by 8:30. I like to get myself organized during the first half hour (with a strong cup of coffee, too), so I prepare for meetings and review notes. The rest of my day is filled with meetings and projects until 4:30 hits. Then there's a ton of free time because I no longer have homework. Sometimes I go out with co-workers, sometimes yoga.... I've even had time to just read for fun. It's really nice. 

What do you like/dislike about your career? About the field?

Likes: I have a schedule and a routine; there are some emergencies, but not many. The opportunity for new projects and experiences is manifold. Sometimes I'm doing a cost-benefit analysis of outsourcing our flu clinics, sometimes I'm trying to balance a university health center budget. This career has also given me the opportunity to work with people and serve people, which I really enjoy. I also just really enjoy the work; it's challenging, but rewarding to a ton of people if done thoughtfully and accurately. 

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Dislikes: Sometimes that routine really bothers me, but it has a lot to do with transitioning from college to the working life. I also struggle with how slow some things move in the professional world. I've yet to find a process that doesn't have pit-falls or gaps that can't be made more efficient in some way. Lastly, with serving and working with people. there is a lot of learning how to navigate different personalities. 

What have you learned being in your particular field?

To answer this as broadly as possible, I think I've learned the most, so far, about people and the different managerial styles there are. Taking the time to get to know people in a new company goes a really long way, especially if those people you get to know are key stakeholders in the projects you're leading.

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