My Life. My Career. My Journey.

Laura Li is an undergraduate at the University of California, Merced. She is majoring in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Human Biology and minoring in Public Health and Sociology. She plans on working in the medical field.

Laura Li - Career Services STEM Consultant

My interest in the medical field began when I first started volunteering at a convalescent home in the Merced community. Being an active member in society as well as a resource for individuals who relied on me for my assistance not only made me feel influential, but it made me feel that I was able to make a difference. I do have to admit that when I first began my services at the convalescent home, I felt out of place. The environment itself had a depressing feeling towards it. Some of the old folks there were very friendly and enjoyed my company but there were some that were bitter which is understandable. I spent a lot of time hosting activities such as playing bingo with them, organizing birthday parties, and serving them lunch. My experiences really opened my eyes and made me realize that my contributions to this center were significant. Seeing the joy and laughter on their faces made my experience worthwhile.

I also have been an active volunteer at Mercy Medical Center for two years now. Volunteering here was a whole different environment. The nurses and doctors are more concerned with just getting the patient in and out of the emergency room rather than spending quality time with them. That was where my role came in. My daily duty is to go from room to room and introduce myself to the patient and their families and ask if there is anything I could help them with, such as, bringing them water, a blanket, or a pillow, or bring the nurse/doctor if they wanted to see them. There were times where I would get short responses, which meant that they didn’t need anything and sometimes, I would get patients who wanted me to comfort them, even if it was for ten minutes. By just being by their side for those couple of minutes, I saw what a difference I made because I helped them get their mind off of them being in the hospital. Some patients would go on and on about their life, talked about their families, etc. It was fascinating to hear all these stories from many different patients because not only are they telling you stories, it made me feel like they were letting me into their lives by opening up to me. Many stories touched me and patients have thanked me for the services that I’ve made. I knew that right then and there that this was the beginning of my journey of making a difference in people's lives. By becoming a health care provider I will be given the opportunity to assist those in need on a daily basis.