Finding passion in health

Throughout pursuing an undergraduate degree, students are constantly urged to “find their passion”. This task, while simple in concept, is hardly an easy one for many students. Wilfrid Laurier University’s health sciences program, however, offers a way to help students facing this challenge.

On Monday evening, the Health Science Students Association (HSSA) held its second annual “Conversations in Health” in the Science Atrium.

The evening consisted of a one hour “speed dating” portion where students, in ten-minute increments, sat down with health care professionals, many of which were Laurier alumni.

This was followed by a reception with refreshments for students to mingle with the attending 32 professionals from varying fields.

Latif Murji, president for the third year of the Health Science Students Association, described the event as, “An extraordinary opportunity for discovery.”

“The goal tonight is for students to expose themselves to options that they didn’t necessarily think of initially and to just broaden their horizons, open their eyes to the different array of opportunities within the health care fields,” Murji said. “There are so many jobs that people don’t know about or haven’t even thought about, and by meeting someone who lives this day in and day out they can really grasp what it’s like and find their passion.”

“This opportunity is something unparalleled at any other school,”added Murji, noting that the event offers Laurier students a great advantage in discovering what they are passionate about.

Murji encouraged students in his welcoming speech to “Seize the moment, this is your night to have provocative, stimulating discussions that can help you find and fuel your passion.”

The event saw an increase from last year in both students and professionals in attendance.

Emad Salama, a first-year health sciences student, said the event was “helpful to grab a new perspective, to explore options for our future careers.”

Mary Anne Smith, a registered dietician, commented on how students could benefit from the discussion at the event.

“I just think that there’s so many health professions out there and there are very few opportunities for students to actually converse one on one with practitioners in each field,” she explained. “And if you’re coming from something like a health science background, which is very general, so to be able to kind of plan your life after your bachelor’s degree is awesome.”

Professionals opened up to students about their own educational pasts as well as many current ones, volunteer opportunities, the harshness of competition in some health fields, as well as their daily lives in the field, to name a few common topics.