As I take the time to reflect on my journey through the BIPS program, I honestly feel as

though the program has changed my life in a positive way. I graduated with an Associates of

Applied Science in Dental Hygiene in 2015 and was certain when I graduated that I would

complete my bachelor’s degree a year or so afterwards. I always wanted to have a bachelor’s

degree so that I could create opportunities for other careers as I got older, knowing I would not

want to do clinical dental hygiene forever. I always had a plan of becoming either a Public

Health Dental Hygienist or a Physician’s Assistant. As time went on, one year turned into two,

two into three, and before I knew it, I had been out of school for 5 years. In 2020 having a lot of

uncertainty in my life, going through a divorce, and trying to find myself again, I decided to go

back to school. Upon talking to advisors at UNCG, I stumbled upon the BIPS degree, and this is

where my journey began.

Not intentionally, Systems Thinking became one of my first BIPS degree core classes,

and one of my first college classes to take after being out of school for 5 years. Being out of

place in the new online world and being rusty on school, I really struggled with Systems

Thinking in the beginning of the class. At first, I disliked Systems Thinking as it was confusing

to me, and I did not understand systems mapping. After finding my ground and getting back into

the swing of school, I started to grasp an understanding of what Systems Thinking was all about,

and it really piqued my interest. I love problem solving and getting to the root of a problem to

find a better solution, and Systems Thinking taught me just that! Completing my first personal

projects in Systems Thinking, which is the same project I am currently working on for my

Capstone project, gave me a strong desire to want to make a difference. Systems Thinking was
one of the biggest factors in me changing my professional career to focus more on public health,

which was huge professional growth.

Two more classes that have helped me in my professional growth were Design Thinking,

and one of my areas of focus classes, Topics in Health/Wellness Occupations. Again, in both

classes I needed to find a real-world problem I was passionate about and create a project

prototype to make a difference in my stakeholders’ lives. As this had been a common theme

throughout the BIPS degree, I believe this is why my professional growth has shifted so much.

Design Thinking was one of my favorite classes because it was similar to Systems Thinking, just

a different way of looking at the problem. I enjoyed learning about project prototypes and

learning that sometimes you must try multiple different prototypes before finding one that works.

In light of Design Thinking, I did a project prototype for my Health and Wellness class as well,

focusing on fighting childhood obesity in the elementary school system. I enjoyed gathering

data, finding issues within the system, and talking and interviewing stakeholders to find multiple

possible solutions to real-world issues we face every day. Overall, in taking all the courses, and

finding my love for solving issues through project prototypes, my path has changed since I

started the BIPS course. I originally was leaning towards PA school, but after graduation I would

like to reach out to the Public Health Department in my county and work with elementary

schools to fight certain health and wellness issues, such as childhood obesity and poor oral health

in children.

On another note, a class that assisted my personal growth quite a bit was Self-Awareness.

Self-awareness felt to me like one big therapy session, and I enjoyed that very much. I believe it

is particularly important to look inward for self-growth and find your strengths and weaknesses.

The Self-Awareness course allowed me to understand what my top values are in life, what
strengths I have for a professional life, and get an idea of how others see me as well. As I

mentioned earlier, going through a major life change, and trying to find myself, this class helped

me in my personal growth tremendously. Looking back with all these things in mind, I would say

that both my professional and personal growth has been tremendous, and as you read, my path

changed in a way that I would have never imagined.

Multiple things in my life have changed in the time it has taken me to complete this

degree, including four job changes, two different states lived in, a divorce, and a new

relationship blossomed. Amid this degree, I have been longing for a desire for change and to find

something meaningful that I am passionate about. I do believe that I also think differently since

having started this degree to now, because I now analyze issues instead of just looking at the

surface. I remember one thing that stuck out to me from Systems Thinking was reading that

building shelters for homeless people is not really helping them because it is a temporary

solution to an underlying problem. I now think about all problems that way to ensure that I am

finding long-term solutions, not temporary ones.

As I talked about earlier, both my education and professional goals have shifted since

starting this degree course. My educational goals have shifted in the sense that I will most likely

not continue to graduate school after completing my bachelor’s degree here at UNCG. The

reason for that change is due to my professional goal shifting. My professional goal switched

from wanting to work as a Physician's Assistant to wanting to work for the county in Public

Health, a big change I know. This program contributed to this change by showing me that

making a difference in someone’s life is what I am truly passionate about. I have wanted to make

a difference somehow, since being in high school, and have always put it off. After doubting my

current career and going through a crisis of wondering what I really wanted, the BIPS program
has shown me a love for problems-solving that I was unaware I had. As I finish up my bachelor’s

degree, I want to become a Public Health worker and fight for those who cannot fight for

themselves. To mention a few, I would like to help elderly residents in nursing homes, low-

income children with limited access to dental care, and overweight children who do not have the

education to make a change. I finally have a passion and a drive to do something that would truly

make a difference in someone’s life.

Overall, I am very proud of myself for going back to school and having almost completed

my bachelor’s degree here at UNCG. I feel my life has changed tremendously throughout the last

year and a half in a positive way and believe this degree has set me up on a successful path for

my future. All the BIPS courses, whether having been one of my favorites or not, have tied

together and taught me fundamentals that I will carry throughout the rest of my life. So, as I am

not completely certain as to where my life will go from here, I know that I am on a path to

success and that no matter the choice I make, I have gained skills to help me succeed.