OSU Voices

A recent OSU grad, Melissa Nguyen earned a degree in public health, with a focus on health promotion and health behavior, and a minor in sociology. During her time at OSU, Nguyen was very involved with several campus organizations including the Peer Health Advocates, the Public Health Club and the Cambodian Student Association. The College of Public Health and Human Sciences offered Nguyen the opportunity to focus on her passion for health and gave her the experiences necessary to continue pursuing her education at the graduate level.

Q. What are three random things about you?
I love to bake.
I enjoy hiking.
I hate watching scary movies.

Q. What did you like about living in Corvallis?
Living in Corvallis was great because everything was so close. I could easily walk from home to campus and then from there to downtown. It’s a very friendly environment.

Q. What makes OSU special?
OSU offers a lot of different student organizations and clubs that you can join. I think there is a club or organization for basically anything that you might be interested in. OSU really takes students’ opinions into account and uses them to make the campus better.

Q. What class did you enjoy most at Oregon State?
I would say a lot of my public health classes, but if I had to pick one it would probably be my peer helper skills class. It’s a different kind of class. It helps you learn about creating programs and outreach material, and then you actually go out into the community to teach others about various health topics.

Q. Why did you choose your major?
I switched to public health with a concentration in health promotion and health behavior from general science because I enjoy finding ways to promote a healthier lifestyle. It starts with your own decision to maintain good health, and it’s important to educate people on how to do so through outreach and health promotion in the community.

Q. How have your studies influenced you?
Taking classes on topics that I am interested in really helps me view things from a different perspective. Not everyone is privileged enough to get access to health information and it really makes me take that into consideration whenever I study health topics.

Q. How do you plan to use your degree?
I plan on going to grad school to get a master’s degree in public health and eventually work for a nonprofit organization to promote healthy behaviors.

Q. What activities were you involved in at OSU?
I was involved with Peer Health Advocates, the Public Health Club, IMPACT, and the Cambodian Student Association. I played intramural basketball once and it was a great experience. I also modeled for the condom couture fashion show last year for the first time — I was super excited.

Q. How did your experiences outside of the classroom impact you?
All the different organizations I was a part of helped me build leadership skills and character. They gave me hands-on experiences with health promotion and, most importantly, they made me more comfortable speaking in a public setting.

Q. Did your time at OSU change the way you think?
OSU has helped me open my eyes to different opportunities that I probably wouldn’t have had the chance to be a part of otherwise. I definitely learned a lot from the classes and organizations that I was part of and I now view things from a different perspective.