The constant thought of deciding what to pursue after college always raced through Jasmine Salem’s head. After graduating high school, many people think it’s a requirement to know what you want to do, which can terrify you even more for the future. Jasmine Salem is a recent Master’s graduate from Johns Hopkins University who works as a program coordinator for the Office of Cancer Training and Research Education at the university. Her interests in Biology and Psychology sparked after taking classes that relate to them, especially because she knew she wanted to work in the healthcare field. Before attaining her current job, she continuously wondered if going to medical school was the best option, but knowing that it required many small steps to achieve it was intimidating. It can lower your motivation because of the strong commitment you have to take on with you, but that didn’t stop Jasmine from achieving a different job. Jasmine stated, “I was really more interested in Psychology than Biology, but I’ve always had that idea of maybe I want to go to medical school and become a doctor.”

Jasmine realized that she could be involved in healthcare without attending medical school, not only did this mindset assist her throughout her job journey, but can also spark an influence on others. After gaining her Bachelor’s Degree, Jasmine decided to go to Johns Hopkins University for her Master’s Degree, now that she is heavily interested in Healthcare Administration. Throughout her years in college, she never thought about pursuing a job in healthcare administration, as becoming a doctor was set in her plan, but her ideas influenced her to change: “Towards the end of my college career, I knew that I didn’t want to take the MCAT and I didn’t see myself going to medical school,” stated Jasmine

Since Jasmine liked connecting with people, she volunteered often which led to her interest in team projects and work. She had several experiences before working at Johns Hopkins, which her first experience was being an administrative intern. This internship taught her teamwork as there were team presentations and communication with society memes involved. After her internship for 5 months, she became an Audiology Technician and tutor for the next couple of years while shifting her way to working as a Medical Laboratory Technician for two years.

After working as a Medical Laboratory Technician, Jasmine finally got her first job at Johns Hopkins working as a research assistant. This job focuses on health literacy, integrating immigrant populations into healthcare, and community outreach. In June 2023, Jasmine got her current job, a program coordinator which allowed her to gain many responsibilities as she is the coordinator. In this job, The Cancer Research Training Office takes on initiatives for Cancer Center with a grant from NCI. Her office helps people write grant applications and also brings young people into Johns Hopkins, including high school and undergraduate. This job also focuses on training research and education initiatives.

Throughout Jasmine’s journey, it’s important to recognize the small steps she did that led her to where she is now. Changing her path from wanting to become a doctor to working in healthcare administration changed her career.Although Jasmines dream job of becoming a doctor did not go as planned, it all worked out for her at the end. The key takeaway from Jasmine’s journey is that it’s okay for your path to not turn out exactly as planned. In the end, life doesn’t go according to plan and setting a path to follow can be motivating, but there are several opportunities out there for you that can also lead you to success.