At an early age, I realized that I had more questions than answers about life and living things. A growing interest in understanding the origin, growth, structure, and function of living creatures led me to major in biology with no certain career plan in mind.
Immediately after completing the Lebanese Red Cross first aid training session in 2007, I became part of Jounieh’s volunteer Red Cross Emergency Medical Services. My being on duty more than seventy-two hours each month has been extremely enriching yet challenging, for the center is the second busiest in Lebanon. As my team and I had to deal with over three-hundred emergency calls per month, I learned to cultivate time management skills especially that time was no longer abundant. Nonetheless, our activities were not only restricted to rescue missions; rather, they encompassed conducting first-aid posts and educational conferences to raise awareness about basic emergency procedures and healthy practices.
While transporting patients in the ambulance, I came to understand that their bad condition is the result of their rudimentary understanding of basic health care and restricted access to the best medical facilities in the Middle East.
Until very recently, I still had no career objective in mind. However, after attending the meeting held by the Faculty of Health Sciences at AUB, I recognized that I could combine my broad academic background in biology and the skills I gained from my practical experience as a first aid volunteer to engage in a vocation as a public health practitioner.
I want to pursue the Master of Public Health Program with a concentration in Health Behavior and Education in order to research and implement intervention policies aimed at providing the population with direct access to health care services. Also, I inspire to infuse health care concepts in young men and women by integrating health awareness in educational programs and conducting campaigns that would elevate a sense of responsibility for a better well-being.
Furthermore, as a current volunteer at the Lebanese Red Cross, I am looking forward to gaining more responsibilities that would enable me to improve the efficiency of services that the Red Cross provides. I believe that my studies in public health at AUB will enlighten my perception of current health issues and more, provide me with the skills necessary to avert preventable health concerns.
I am more than sure that the friendly and supportive atmosphere at the AUB School of Public Health, a school long renown for its commitment to excellence in all that it does, will enable me to exhaust and develop my capacities to the full, thus allowing me to become a successful well-rounded person, able of playing an active role in my community.
Indeed, the MPH program will be demanding, but I am willing to give it my very best, for I have the solid dedication, maturity, and desire to become a public health practitioner.