Meet Amy Thai, HS Student

Amy Thai, Health Studies student, took a few minutes from her busy schedule to answer a few questions for SNHS.

Tell us about yourself and what led you to UW Bothell:

I am a first generation person in my family to attend college. I have applied to other schools in Washington but I wanted a new environment to be around and I chose UW Bothell. At the time I was living in Kent and I have made the decision to move more up north.

Tell us what led you to choose your program:

I actually had a hard time picking a major in the beginning. I knew I wanted to do something in the medical field but all of the STEM majors didn’t feel right at the time. Then I started to explore other majors like health studies and it opened my mind about different aspects of health itself. When I was taking more biology classes it focused on the science realm of things but taking health classes broadened the horizon.

How has your experience in your coursework helped you find your career or educational pathway (area of focus)? You may want to tell us about a moment at UW Bothell that you are proud of, and what has fueled your passion:

I started my first two years of college doing more biology and chemistry classes but I wanted to step out of that circle and try out some health studies classes. The first class I took was introduction to public health. This class was a perfect mix of having some science terms and along with more human connections. At the end of the quarter we had a project about issues in the community. My group landed on doing the homelessness in Seattle area. It was devastating seeing the statistics of how many people were homeless and I feel like I should be helping out more. While growing up I loved helping out people no matter what they were doing and I want to do the same after finishing school.

Share a memorable course or learning experience:

I think it would be a tie between introduction to public health and introduction to cancer biology. I liked how there was a class that mainly focuses on cancer in the health field. From previous classes they didn’t dive deep into what cancer was and this class helped me understand cancer better. This class dove into the stereotypes of what cancer is and the different types of cancer and how they can occur in the body.

What are your future plans?:

After graduating I plan on going to pharmacy technician school for about a year then taking a gap year. I want to become a pharmacist and explore other options in the health field.

Was there a faculty, staff or student service that had a positive impact on your success?:

One of my biggest supporters during my schooling has to be my mom. She has always encouraged my schooling since I was a little kid. When I told her I got accepted into UW Bothell she couldn’t be more happier that one of her kids was going to college. Now that I am a senior I feel like the hard work paid off and can’t wait to see my mom in the crowds when I walk the stage.

Did you feel UW Bothell has helped you envision how you can take your work in the classroom and put in into direct practice with community organizations?:

UW Bothell has definitely shaped how I would work in the real world. Being at UWB and taking the different classes about health broadened my view about what health studies really is. I am grateful that I was able to take some aspects of science classes and community base classes.