FHS alumnus discovered his passions through the Bachelor of Arts in Health Sciences

By Geron Malbas

Gian Rico has always been a goal-driven person with a desire to aid others. One of the biggest dreams in his life: to become a doctor without borders. For him, pursuing medicine seemed to be the best course of action to make this dream become reality, but studying in FHS made him realize how he could also achieve his goals through other routes.

“I realized that my desire to help those in need could be fulfilled not only through becoming a doctor, but also through other routes. Routes such as a public health researcher, mediator, or educator,” says Rico. "In this epiphany, my decision to move from a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences to a Bachelor of Arts in Health Sciences came about. This decision has been one of my proudest decisions.”

The opportunity to understand the contributing factors to health - ranging from cultural context to cellular process - was also incredibly valuable for him. In his courses in FHS, one of the most valuable things he learned was how stress affects our health.

“Stress plays a large role in immunity depravation. It can affect oneself physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually; all of which are important to one's health and wellbeing,” he explains. “As such, learning to take care of myself, and to try my hardest to not stress about small things, has been one of the most valuable things I have learned.”

During his time in FHS, he also found out how essential the faculty and staff were to his learning. Throughout his undergrad experience, the faculty and staff members were always ready and willing to guide him.

“I remember going to office hours with nothing but lists of questions and uncertainties regarding papers we had to write, or questions about subjects that I just could not grasp,” he recalls. “Yet, time and again, the TAs and professors I met with would happily welcome me into their office and offer their guidance to me with no hesitation.”

As a recent graduate, Rico offers some words of advice to students who are stressed about graduating as quickly as possible. “Relax. Take it slow. It’s not a race, it’s a marathon and everyone will get there at their own pace and time. The goal is not to be the fastest to graduate. The goal is to learn, to grow, and to better yourself.”