The date was May 25th, 2013,one of the greatest days of my life.I remember how the entire day went as if it were yesterday.I woke up confused due to the fact that it was happening so fast. The clock kept ticking,tick tock tick tock.By the time I lost count of the amount of ticks that went by the time has come. God was crying throughout the whole entire ceremony, we were drenched with his tears while we all sat in our seats. The minute before they were getting ready to say my name, my heart kept pounding. The sound was parallel to a medicine ball being bounced, over and over. In a matter of minutes, they called my name, “Dexter Gyan”. Once I received my diploma my heart was calm, because at that moment I knew my life has just begun.
After my time at Marist College was complete, figuring out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life while working in order to gain experience had a few bumpy roads. During my years at Marist my mind was set on becoming a mental health counselor or a psychologist. After extensive research I came to the realization that the job market was not as demanding as I thought it would be. The need for a change when dealing with picking a new profession was a challenge. My parents always advised me to pursue a career that always demanded more workers. After I disregarded counseling I decided to look into forensic psychology.
My research while browsing the internet showed that forensic psych was not job ready either. Within a few months I stumbled upon the field of health. While looking into health I zeroed in on health information management due to the mixture of healthcare and technology. The American Health Information Management Association website discusses the different careers in health information management in full detail.
Some of these careers include coding, documentation improvement, and healthcare technology specialist. Out of all the careers that health information management had to offer, my goal was to become a healthcare data analyst. Once I decided I wanted to pursue this career, I figured Montclair State’s data collection and management program will give me an edge over other individuals who are looking to become Healthcare data analysts.
Being that I always had a passion for technology and helping others, pursuing the career of a healthcare data analyst felt like a good choice. The world of healthcare always interested me even when my focus was on psychology. Without healthcare and the way professionals take care of humans,a lot of people would have no cure for their health problems. Healthcare professionals are forced to challenge themselves from time to time with new issues such as new illnesses that need a cure. The process of using your mind and having the chance to solve problems before other people can solve them gives me a thrill.
The tasks I had to complete with insurance data at New York Life Insurance Company is similar to what a healthcare data analyst does every day. I learned how to prepare important documents on the computer as well as arrange and update information on previous and newer clients in the data base that was needed by the company. Although I enjoy dealing with information on clients, the part that excites me the most about the job description of a healthcare data analyst is the leadership role they have to fill. My counselor/party coordinator job at SuperDome Sports in New Jersey as well as my coaching job at Inspirational Hoopzgave me the experience of being a leader that is required to take charge. Being that the jobs I just mentioned are not related with healthcare I don’t want to speak about them in detail.
However, these jobs taught me to always be aware of everything around me in a job setting. Since one of the most important tasks of a healthcare professional is to write daily reports about the healthcare setting,a data analyst must have the ability to observe everything that goes on with extreme cautiousness. If an individual pursing data analytics does not have this skill they can do a terrible job filling out a status report. Also,being that I have worked at jobs such a target being a backroom team member, I am certain that I want to acquire a job that gives me more power over how I do things.
I am not a fan of being told what to do all the time in a job setting, therefore I want to become an instant success in the healthcare industry so that I can end up making some of the big decisions. My biggest influence for taking the path towards healthcare is my mom.Being that my mom is a nurse, she is currently filling me in on what to expect in the health field and how hard the professionals work. I am currently seeking an internship or volunteer work that deals with healthcare data in order to get a head start towards my lifetime career.
I know the task of being a good healthcare data analyst is not going to be easy, but I always try my best when it comes to excelling in something new. I have currently received an opportunity to learn from the Health Information Management department in Westchester Medical starting in January. I plan on using this opportunity to climb the ladder of success in the health information field.
When dealing with the world of academia, persistence is the best word to describeme in pursuitof my education.I was never an outstanding student when it came to grades, however my academic status only got better as I grew older.Receiving good grades when I was in high school and in my first semester of college was a challenge; however this is not reflective of my performance today. The high school to college transition was not a pleasant one during my first semester. During Christmas break of that same year,I acquired something that changed my life forever. While trying to get over the fact that my grades were dreadful,I tried to find out what was wrong with me.
During the last week before the spring semester, I came to the conclusion that I was scared. The pressure that I felt and experienced was holding me back. Everytime I took a test or did homework I always focused on the consequences of not doing well as opposed to the material I was supposed to learn or getting the right answers on an exam. Once I came back to school and started thinking as a winner who couldn’t lose as long as I tried my best, I knew the turning point in my life story was being written before my very eyes.
The next semester I ended up showing major improvement in the classroom.My grades weren’t A’s, but I was more self- assured with my efforts as a student and more open to learning new material which earned me B’s in most of my courses.I applied to Marist College in order to seek a degree from a more respected school. Marist College realized the potential in me due to the progress I made from the first semester to the second.
Before I could even blink I was starting classes at Marist in the fall of 2010.I felt like I just got drafted to the NBA when I got admitted into Marist, I knew my time to prosper was near. At MaristI went from being a C student my first semester to a student who was receiving B’s and A’s, with a couple of C’s here and there in difficult courses in one of the top schools in New York. After the first semester, I became comfortable and started doing well in my courses. The distractions that being a kid in college living on campus brings held me back from revealing my true potential as a student.
However, the fact that I was receiving grades I never thought I would acquire convinced me to believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel.Even though I graduated with about a 2.5 overall, I was proud that I was able to transfer over and graduate on time while showing a drastic improvement in my seriousness towards studies. Today,my focus is all about succeeding in everything that I take part in. I vision myself being humble and asking for help if needed in this program while studying hard and understanding all the course material. Academics are a huge priority in my life, because as grew up I realized that school is the only way I will get to where I need to be in the world we live in.
Being that I want to learn as much as I can about health data, I am currently taking an online master’s level health informatics course at Walden University which is being instructed by Dr.Airica Steed. The challenging essays and discussion assignments have prepped me for the graduate level workload at Montclair State as well as my career as a healthcare data analyst. I currently have an A in the course due to the fact that I complete every assignment with the utmost seriousness. I hope to either improve upon or maintain this grade by the time the course is over.
The one trait in my life that I have obtained that will get me through the data collection and management program if granted admission is maturity. Being older taught me that there is nothing an individual can take for granted on this world we call earth. Every assignment or selected reading a certain class provides to a student from the syllabus down to the final exam or final essay has to be handled as if the entire grade for the class depends on it. I am well aware that my future career is on the line and I want to show the world that my persistence will lead me on the right path of success.
If granted admission to Montclair,I will be a commuter. This is an important factor due to the effect it has on my concentration which is being displayed in the health informatics course at Walden.Studying in the comfort of my own home gives me access to peace and quiet.As mentioned earlier, I felt that there were a few distractions that prevented me from unleashing my true potential as a college student.
Being on campus in my opinion was ainterruption due to the endless activities on campus and around campus, as well asroommates who each had their own agenda in the dorms.I am not using these facts as an excuse, however being away from all the divertissement and closer to my well rounded parents keeps me locked in on the fact that life is not a game.Even if I was offered to live on campus for free,I would deny the offer because being in my house working on my assignments after classes at the end of the day will put my grades in the best position possible when the program is over.
I have a couple goals I want to accomplish while being in this program. My first goal is to get A’s.I want to leave the program with the highest grades so that employers can see that I am ready for the professional stage in the real world. My hunger to be a solid scholar as well as my mindset can help me accomplish this task alongside with humility and patience.
My second goal is to understand as much as I can about handling data so that I can use that knowledge when I am a part of the healthcare industry. Dr. Donoghue, the program coordinator for the Data program gave me insight on the program that got me really excited. When I did research on the program, I discovered that coursesteach people strategies towards analyzing data from various companies. Knowing this well help me to effectively look into healthcare data in order to figure out what changes have to be made in a healthcare setting.
Montclair State has an impressive reputation in regards to academics that caught my eye.I already know what is expected of me as a student and I plan on withholding those expectations while trying to do more in order to succeed within the institution.I feel that anything can be accomplished when the hunger to accomplish the goal is immense. I have never been hungrier to win in my life. I’m not only looking to prosper for myself, but to prosper for an institution that works hard to take care of their students.
