For some students, helping others and putting a smile on someone’s face prompts them to turn what they love into a career.

Eryn Brannagan, a senior health education and promotion major, recently began her internship at the University Health Center in spring 2019.

“I’ve always liked the age group of college students since I am one,” stated Brannagan. “I think college students need to be more educated on a lot of health topics and have a lot of misconceptions. So, I thought why not work for the health center since it’s close to home, and I can stay on campus.”

Brannagan shared what her typical work day consists of at the University Health Center.

“I pretty much wake up in the morning and drive here,” said Brannagan. “I get here around nine, and I’m here from 9-4. I’m usually just doing any events we have going on or any projects that need to be done. We may have to take people’s vitals, which sometimes can be very repetitive, but it’s a lot of fun.”

After having worked as an intern for two weeks, Brannagan faced some initial challenges.

“Everything is a big learning curve,” shared Brannagan. “It’s almost like our first professional job experience. The first two weeks were pretty stressful because you don’t know what to expect. You get to deal with a lot of different topics, and sometimes I might not have the answers to everything I get asked about, but of course, there’s tons of resources that’s here to help me.”

Due to a busy workload, Brannagan makes it a point to stay organized.

“While I’m doing a three-hour class this semester, I also have two other jobs, and it can be challenging here and there,” said Brannagan. “Something that helps me is I keep a schedule, and my planner is always full. I always have to follow it, and I’m someone who likes to know the times to make sure I stay on schedule.”

When she is not working, Brannagan enjoys reading, running and playing with her animals at home. She is also an instructor of a group fitness class at the university.

“I teach group fitness classes at the rec,” said Brannagan. “I really like working out and getting to teach other college students how to work out is a lot of fun.”

Brannagan is thankful for her friends and the patients who help keep her driven to fulfill her responsibilities.

“I have a good friend here that is interning with me,” stated Brannagan. “She keeps me motivated. The people around me keep me motivated. It’s always helpful when I’m helping a patient or someone, and when it actually helps them, they tell you it’s helping them. They just smile, and just to help them feel a little better, helps motivate me. That’s why I’m in this profession, and that’s to help other people every day.”

Brannagan appreciated the opportunity to work with the University Health Center.

“It’s definitely a great place to intern or work in general,” said Brannagan. “You get to be more hands on with students, and I make a lot of connections here around campus. I believe you should always be your own motivation and learn that even though you might face some mountains, while it might not look good now, in the end it’ll get a lot better.”