I knew I wanted a career in medicine from the age of seven, but didn’t know how I was going to achieve my dream until I enrolled at the University of North Florida.

I’m originally from India and moved to the United States with my parents in 2006 when I was 16. We lived in New York for some time and then moved to Jacksonville so my dad could open his own business. I attended high school in Jacksonville and applied to four universities — the University of Florida, University of South Florida, Emory University and UNF. I was accepted at all four, but chose to attend UNF.

The reason I selected UNF was because I looked carefully at the student-to-teacher ratio at each university. It was important for me to know my teachers because that was how I had learned while growing up in India. UNF is amazing in terms of being an excellent school academically while still maintaining the one-on-one contact between faculty and students.

Initially I thought I wanted to go to medical school. However, I learned another path to my goal was to pursue a doctorate in clinical psychology. That will allow me eventually to do research while also establishing a private practice where I can work one-on-one with patients.

Much of the credit for my career path goes to Dr. Michael Toglia, chair of the Psychology Department. He is not only my mentor, but is the reason I was able to get a full-time job at the Mayo Clinic. I started there with a three-month internship, but it was extended for seven months and became a part-time job as a research assistant in the Department of Behavioral Neuroscience.

After I graduate, I will work full time for the Mayo Clinic before entering graduate school. After completing the five-year program to get my doctorate and becoming a certified therapist, I would like to work for a hospital for a few years. Eventually I would love to return to UNF as a professor and perhaps begin an advanced program in psychology while also maintaining a private practice.

My UNF experience has been transformational thanks in large part to the Alan C. Ling International Scholarship. The scholarship allowed me to study in England through the Honors Program. I was one of 12 students accepted into the class and we studied British politics visiting London, Glastonbury, Gloucester and Oxford. I’m also fortunate to have received the Deon and R. Ernest Ferrell Scholarship given to students studying in health care professions.

UNF has broadened my horizons and made me aware of so many opportunities for transformational learning. Coming to UNF was the best decision I’ve ever made.