Today I had the pleasure of attending a seminar conducted by my friend and colleague, Dr. Krista Perreira [and hosted by my School’s Student Global Health Committee, yay students!]. I attended to support my friend and because sometimes the most delightful inspiration comes when you least expect it. I was not disappointed :).
Krista started her talk by describing how her professional focus evolved. She explained how she started her career as an economist focusing on topics that were separate from her service activities in Latino and immigrant communities and organizations. Finally, at some point, she had an “aha!” moment and realized the value of combining those interests.
Yes, this may seem like a “duh” moment, too…until you think about how many people you know or have seen at work who have a job or career that is not related to anything about which they are truly passionate. Pursuing a career in a field connected to something that excites or motivates you for other reasons, like connections to your culture or a health issue that is prevalent in your community or a skill set that you think is fun, can help you narrow your career quest and feel really good about the results.
Copied from Dr. Perreira’s webpage:
Krista Perreira is a health economist who studies disparities in health, education, and economic well-being and inter-relationships between family, health and social policy. Focusing on children in immigrant families, her most recent work combines qualitative and quantitative methodologies to study migration from Latin America and the health and educational consequences of migration. Through her research, she aims to develop programs and policies to improve the well-being of immigrant families and their children.
