Welcome back to school everyone! While you may be stacking up on textbooks and highlighting your syllabus, our alums are out there living life off of Dickinson’s campus. Here is what one of our HC alums is up to now that she is fresh out of college!
Name: Valentina Gheorghiu
Major: Environmental Studies
Graduation Year: 2019
Things you were involved in on campus:
I was the events coordinator for Her Campus for about a year and a half. I also worked on the Dickinson Farm and worked a lot of those farm events (which I definitely recommend people attend they’re amazing and they’re so much fun).
What are you up to now?
I’m currently working as a Patient Services Specialist for ATI Physical Therapy (which is a nationwide physical therapy company so to speak). PSS as we call it is just a fancy title for front office employee, although we do a lot more than you would think. I also double as a rehab technician so I help people do their exercises and stretches correctly.
What was your favorite part of being at Dickinson?
You probably hear this a lot and maybe you roll your eyes when you hear it but I sincerely mean it when I say, when I visited the campus for the first time it felt like I belong or I could belong. I was instantly comfortable walking around campus and I wasn’t even finished high school. I met some of my best and closest friends there, I had AMAZING professors and truly amazing courses some of which were very beneficial for me for the field I’m in. As a sophomore I took Spanish for the health professions (one of my favorite classes I ever took at dickinson) and the first week at my job I had someone call who didn’t speak English well enough and using what I learned in that class I was able to get information about where his pain is and schedule him to come in. I was so excited about that.
I also want to mention that Dickinson gives you so many great opportunities. I never studied abroad but through one of my classes I met the CEO of a non profit non governmental organization in Paraguay, I was interested in it, I sent an email saying I’d love to intern. The next summer I spent 2 months working for that organization, which I can’t say would have happened if it were not for Dickinson.
What was your experience in Her Campus like?
I really enjoyed being part of Her Campus and getting the opportunity to write articles about any topic that I found was of interest. I think it’s a great club that allows college women to have a platform to share their stories and their opinions, especially for those women who feel intimidated to do so elsewhere. It was a great group of gals who I felt comfortable with and allowed me to meet people I wouldn’t have otherwise.
What’s one thing you wish you had done as a Dickinson student?
I wish I had done more while I was at Dickinson, it wasn’t until my last year that I decided to join the farm staff and I wish I had done it sooner. That being said, I don’t even know what other groups or events there were that I missed out on. I do wish I took advantage more of what dickinson has to offer. There are so many different clubs, organizations, events and so on that happen every week and I really urge people to go to one event every week just to see what’s out there.
Give a piece of advice from an alum to a freshman:
I could give so many. Try different things and don’t fret about not finding something because with the type of education dickinson college offers I guarantee that your courses will overlap and as they say, knowledge is power. I graduated with a major in environmental studies but I’m working at a physical therapy clinic, I don’t know the exact statistic but I think somewhere near 40% of people do something that isn’t related to their major. I think college is a good place to test the waters and see where you think you want to be in the future and it gives you the chance to be able to switch careers in the future because of the wide range of courses they offer. Also utilize your professors as much as possible you don’t even know the countless of opportunities they can provide you with and if not them someone they know. Most importantly though, don’t worry too much, there’s no time limit. We’re all on this road to our own destinations and whether or not you stick on the fastest route or take a detour you’ll get to end point eventually. It really is about the journey more so than the destination.
What do you hope to do in the future?
I still don’t even know where I want to be in the future. I’ve always had an interest in the environment, so maybe down the line I’ll go back to that, but right now I’m actually pursuing a career in physical therapy. My plan at the moment is to continue working with ATI for a bit and then go back to school to be a licensed physical therapist.