Senior Retrospective | Jared Augestein

In my first meeting with my pre-major adviser, Assistant Professor of Biology Erica Crespi, I'm pretty sure that I wanted to be a doctor. So over the next two and a half years I labored through the standard pre-med classes such as biology and organic chemistry, more interested in simply completing the work than actually learning anything. Then, halfway through my junior year a friend introduced me to the Vassar Uganda Project, a small student-run organization that did global health work in rural Uganda, and my coursework, academic interests and professional aspirations were turned upside down.

Upon returning from Uganda I switched my major from neuroscience and behavior to science, technology and society, which allowed me to pursue my new-found interest in global health and international development. I started taking classes that I actually enjoyed rather than ones that were simply a means to an end, I developed better relationships with my professors and even started receiving better grades. These changes would not have been possible without the support of my advisers, professors and administrators who were relentlessly supportive of my goals. This past January, I was in Haiti with three fellow students during the devastating earthquake, and the first people to contact me (after friends and family) were my professors whom I had developed relationships with over the past three years.

I've had many moments over the past few years where I've wanted to change something about Vassar, but upon reflecting upon my experiences I now realize that Vassar has changed me far more than I will ever change it. I will take my interests and relationships with me into the real world—with a pit stop at graduate school first—knowing that Vassar fostered my passion for global health. Despite the challenges I have faced in pursing this interest I will leave here with zeal and profound interest for what lies ahead and a deep respect for what I am leaving behind.

—Jared Augestein is a member of Pro Health.