This past weekend I attended my cousin’s wedding in Atlanta after literally counting down days until the festivities for over six months. It was the most incredible and grand celebration– I come from a huge, crazy, and hilariously loud family, and I live for these rare occasions when we are all together. Being close to my family is one of the most enriching and defining parts of who I am, and I feel incredibly fortunate to share those strong bonds. That being said, having such personal relationships with my family means two things are always in abundance: food, and advice. My family LOVES to eat, but I would venture to say they enjoy sharing their opinions even more.

A small preview of my family’s craziness

I realized last weekend that I have matured out of the “What are you studying?” phase and into the “What are you doing with your life?” epoch. Very, very terrifying. It is easy to field those questions with curious peers and acquaintances because I can just smile and offer a vague “something related to public health…” before redirecting the conversation. That technique is a complete and utter fail with my family. They want the specifics, the exact details about my elaborate plans from now until a career. And they don’t just want to hear it—they want to add their own commentary, critiques, and suggestions. While my parents are wonderfully supportive and encouraging in all respects, my decision not to pursue med school was less than favorably received by my extended family. When I tried to explain my excitement and interest in global health and human rights, the responses I got ranged from “there is no better field than medicine” to “you will never make money.” My family is so well intentioned, but I quickly grew frustrated and vulnerable from having to defend my choices. It took several months for me to feel comfortable in my decision to steer away from medicine onto a different path, and I did not appreciate the resurfacing feelings of doubt and insecurity.

Me, my parents, and my brother at the reception!

These past few days since being back through, several small occurrences have reaffirmed my confidence and reminded me of why I am passionate about public health. Today, for instance, I took a career values assessment that allows you to rank what you value as important in a job. My top five were:

1) Help society

2) Diversity

3) Influence people

4) Public contact

5) Moral fulfillment

Looking at the list, I realized that I am drawn to the fields of global health/ social justice/ international development/ human rights because the work so perfectly aligns with what I fundamentally value in a career. Being engaged in the community and making a difference is a reoccurring theme throughout the rankings, and I recognize that a personally fulfilling and satisfying career must highlight those elements. For me, the values on this list are realized through public health. I know with time and action my family will come to accept, respect and understand my decisions. Familial pressures can at times be hard to manage, but I am grateful for their ability to challenge and question me because it keeps me honest with myself. As one of the youngest members of my family, establishing a voice for myself will be an on-going process, but in the meantime, I am thrilled to continue with public health and show them where it leads me next.

Dear Scripps students, do you ever face similar experiences or reactions regarding your school/major/ career choice? How do you deal with and address the situation?