‘A Mix of Crazy and a Reminder of the Good’

Cassidy Flory, who finished her senior year this spring, has a story similar to many choosing public health. Her initial major was nursing at her local community college. Nursing, she says, is a noble profession, but....

“I started to wonder if that was really for me. Public health combines my passion for helping others with my love of healthcare. I just really enjoy the idea of being able to help even more people by planning and implementing a program that would reach potentially hundreds of people,” Flory says.

“Experiencing COVID-19 has only made me more sure of my decision to pursue a degree and career in public health. The idea that I could someday be in a public health department helping to keep the residents of a community safe and educated is very exciting to me.”

Flory lived the transition to online learning, found herself “Zooming” with her fellow SPHA student leaders, and joined in a Zoom chat with Cornish that was posted on the COE public health Facebook page.

She recalls professor Susan Roberts-Dobie explaining at the very beginning of the introduction to public health that everything is public health -- for example, panic buying.

“Those of a lower socioeconomic status do not have the ability that someone from a higher status may have in relation to stocking up on these essentials,” she notes. “As a future public health worker, a pandemic or epidemic is the last thing you would ever hope for. When we talk about past pandemics such as the Spanish influenza in class, it is so hard to relate to as it happened so long ago. It’s a heart-breaking, scary learning experience that will no doubt help shape our futures in public health.”

As a public health student, early on she focused on the facts and found herself helping translate for her friends and family. “With my coursework, I have been able to explain some topics and definitions I never really thought I would use. I have also found that my coursework has encouraged me to spread useful tips through my social media for my friends. I work with the elderly and this has been really hard on them...but it has been interesting to be able to share with them what I know and what I have learned from my education.”

“The last 30 days have been a mix of crazy and a reminder of the good,” Flory says. “As unfortunate as this is, the COVID-19 pandemic has really highlighted the public health field. People are coming to realize just how our public health officials are working around the clock to keep our communities safe,” she says.

“Things haven’t been easy. Work is different. Family time is different. Time with friends is not happening. And that’s okay. During this pandemic I have learned a lot from my community and humanity about what really is important.”