Philosophy Statement

My name is Linh Tran and I am a third-year undergraduate student at the University of

North Florida. My major is in health science with a minor in health education. As a future health
provider, I would like to like to work with young adults and adults from 20 to 35 years old. My
goal is to improve the age group’s overall physical health. People from the age of 20 to 30 years
old have a high tendency to perform an inadequate amount of physical activity per week and
overconsume unhealthily processed foods. My public health focus will be on educating the
specific population about the importance of being active in daily life and healthy eating habits. I
would like to help people understand the impact of developing a healthy lifestyle early. I chose
to study medicine and become a medical provider because I used to follow my parents to medical
offices to translate their health concerns with the physicians when I was younger. Along the way,
I learned different medical terminologies and was always curious to learn the anatomy of our
body and its function. At that time, I was interested in conducting blood tests and analyzing the
results. I really admired the works and responsibilities of each health professional as they work
together to save lives. When I got a little bit older, some of my family members were diagnosed
with diabetes and thyroid disease. At that time, I felt helpless as I understand the effect of the
disease on my family member, but I did not know how to help them get better and live a healthy
life. Therefore, I became inspired and found my passion in medicine because I would like to use
my medical knowledge to help people around me develop a healthy lifestyle.
My passion and medical interest from the past have brought me to enter the public health
major because it correlates with my interest in community health, and allows me to use my
professional skills to encourage people to develop better lifestyle choices. Public health is not a
topic that everyone will discuss as people are more focused on finding the best treatment plans
for diseases or new scientific findings. However, most people do not know that the “golden”
method to decrease their risk of developing diseases and ensure a healthy body is through
primary prevention. In public health, our main purpose is to examine the health problems in a
certain community and determine how to decrease the risk rate through promoting health
education in the population. Our main mission is based on the 8 areas of Certified Health
Education Specialist (CHES) responsibilities where we will assess the need and resources of the
community, plan a health program, implement the program, and perform an evaluation. When
the program is evaluated and finalized, we can advocate for the health changes and communicate
with the community on health promotion, all while consistently showing our competency in
ethics and professionalism. Therefore, majoring in public health has shown me the importance of
community health and health promotion.
Progressing into my future, I would like to graduate with my Bachelor in Health Science
by 2022 and further my study to obtain my Master in Physician Assistant Studies. Before starting
graduate school, I plan to work as a Patient Care Technician to gain experience in the clinical
field and learn about the main health concerns in our community. I would like to interact more
with patients and look out for the barriers that could lead to health issues. I also plan to volunteer
at non-profit organizations and travel to countries that lack access to quality healthcare during
my leisure time to work as a volunteer health provider. I believe that being a volunteer would
help me connect with people in the community and help advocate for better health. I want to use
what I learn as a public health major, medical personnel, and a medical provider to work with
different communities in the United States and assess their needs for better health. Not only will
I perform treatments, but I will also advocate for health education and help each individual finds
their path toward a healthy life.