enior Aida Mahfood is a Physician’s Assistant in training, who loves golf and volunteering.
Her Campus Cal Lutheran: What year are you?
Aida Mahfood: I am currently a senior.
HC: What is your major and why did you pick it?
AM: I am a biology major. I chose to be a biology major because I was interested in learning about the world on a micro level. I am planning on becoming a Physician’s Assistant, and in order to diagnose people it very important that I understand the functioning of the human body on a small scale.
HC: What’s your favorite thing about CLU?
AM: My favorite thing about CLU is the friendly environment, as well as being on a small campus. I really enjoy having professors that take the time to know and understand their students, and are willing to help them as well.
HC: What company did you volunteer for?
AM: I volunteered at St. John’s Hospital as part of the Cope Health Scholars program. Through the program I was able to rotate through 5 different departments including: telemetry, mother infant unit, labor and delivery, the emergency room, and the operating room. In my 15 months of volunteering I was able to learn a great deal about patient care, as well as shadow physicians and nurses of many different fields.
HC: What company did you work for?
AM: I worked for AMT Ambulance Company for 9 months. I mostly ran non-emergency calls during my time there. I would transport patients that were not extremely critical to the hospital, dialysis, or I would take them back to their residence after their discharge. I was fortunate enough to work as both an attendant in the back of the ambulance, as well as drive the ambulance.
HC: What’s your favorite thing about volunteering?
AM: My favorite thing about volunteering was getting to learn a great deal of procedures from the physicians and nurses, and helping patients, and watching them recover. Getting to watch births happen, watching surgeries, and even simple procedures greatly increased my knowledge of the medical field. The greatest joy I got was watching a patient’s condition improve, or seeing the joy on their face when they were better. Knowing that I was a part of that healing process is an indescribable feeling, and is one of the main reasons I want to pursue a career in medicine.
HC: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
AM: In 5 years I see myself working in a hospital as a Physician’s Assistant. I would like to specialize in orthopedic surgery with a sub specialty in sports medicine. I would hopefully have graduated from PA school by this time, and hopefully working in a hospital in Southern California.
HC: What are some of your other hobbies?
AM: One of my favorite hobbies is golf. I have been golfing since I was 15 years old. I was a varsity golfer for 3 years, and I was fortunate enough to play golf at CLU for one year.
HC: What is one thing a lot of people don’t know about you, but you think they should?
AM: Something a lot of people do not know about me is that I am Syrian, and I am also Catholic. My whole family in Syria is Catholic as well. This is something a lot of people would not know since only 7% of Syrians are Christian.
HC: What is your favorite quote?
AM: “Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.”