Hrithik Dass
I wanted to learn about health on a broader spectrum before moving into a specialised area of study.
I am the eldest child of three in my family; together we are a family of five with mum and dad. I completed my schooling at three different schools due to financial hardship and just general transportation issues, but finally graduated from Mitchell High School in Blacktown.
My passion deep down comes from learning new things very quickly, especially when it benefits me and the environment surrounding me.
I come from a very competitive background with my family and friends, so I like to give my best in everything I do. I also love to help people and provide exceptional service, as do in my current field of work interacting with customers.
Out of all the subjects that I did in high school, I only enjoyed Science and Business Studies. It made me realise that health and especially working in a team-oriented, performance-driven environment in health could be the option best suited for me. This is why I am pursuing Health Science – I wanted to learn about health on a broader spectrum before moving into a more specialised area of study.
I chose UTS as they are Australia’s #1 young university.
UTS also was the first university to send me an offer straight away to be admitted into university. Being the first child in your family to attend university was a big expectation I had to uphold. Going to a renowned and diverse university fulfilled my dreams of not only doing myself proud and going to a university far from home, but also putting my parent’s hard work to rest by getting into this amazing university.
Being able to meet new students is a big change. Meeting people from different areas of NSW, as well as international students, is a very different experience from your usual classmates, so it’s always great to meet new and unique people at university.
One experience that I will never forget is the Bachelor of Health Science Amazing Race which is hosted by the lovely Bernard Saliba. The race allowed me to adapt to university so much better, even though it was an orientation activity! I have since been involved in assisting with this program for new students and it’s an experience I will always remember.
Note: The Bachelor of Health Science is now known as the Bachelor of Public Health.
This degree has made many changes in how I go about life. One that has been impacted the most is my perspective on health and other events in life. I have realised there is not always one way towards a situation; there are factors and dynamic challenges towards every project, law, issue, and disease.
I have developed a lot of respect for frontline health workers, and I have also learnt to understand and respect the reasons as to why people are suffering underlying health conditions or are a part of a low socioeconomic community.
Ultimately, I would like to pursue postgraduate studies in Pharmacy at the Graduate School of Health at UTS. I have a vision to either kickstart a community pharmacy business or work closely in the hospital pharmacy area.
My advice to students is to have a go, research, and explore their options because this course provides a great outlook into future career pathways and it’s a very rewarding course.
There is also a great selection of majors – the degree allows you to study a year before choosing your major. I think it’s great flexibility for students who know they want to be working in the health sector, but don’t know what speciality they would like to delve into or which pathway they would like to take.
