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Kiran F. Syed
- Major
- Sociology
- Learning Portfolio
- Loyola Experience Culminating Portfolio
As an incoming freshman, I had declared a Biology major on with a Pre-Med track. I had shadowed many doctors from Cardiologists, pediatricians, to family doctors which exposed me to the field of medicine first-hand. I’m still interested in medicine and aspire to attend medical school where I would eventually become a doctor. A pediatrician, to be exact. It was not until my second semester of sophomore year where I had taken my first sociology class with Dr. Brown. That class changed my perspective. Because I had never taken a sociology class previously, it challenged me to think critically, and become aware of what we often take for granted. I was so drawn to the class that I had declared it as a major. Once my sophomore year began, I realized that my biology classes that I had taken did not make me excited as they once did. I was struggling academically, and also autonomously. After numerous of conversations with my pre-health advisor, my academic advisor, my parents, and my close friends who knew me very well, I had decided to do what was more suited toward my passions and to declare a Sociology major however I still kept my pre-med course and added a bioethics minor. This allowed me to still take the science courses that I needed to apply to medical school, overall my dream of becoming a doctor did not change but my decision to change my major to Sociology has shaped me into a better individual by knowing about social determinants of health to understanding future patients that will come from many different socioeconomic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. During my transition into sociology, I was nervous about having a new major but as I continued to take classes I learned so much from Sociology that I never questioned my decision again. Now, being in my fourth year, I am much more confident with my identity, academic aspirations, and future vocation. It had occurred to me that through my involvement at Loyola and the Chicago community, that my true calling is to be a medical doctor with a background of Sociology which gives me a perspective Biology could not offer.
Portfolio Link: http://ksyedlecp.weebly.com/
