Joseph Chacon, Class of '20

Joseph Chacon BA General Studies with a minor in Philosophy, 2020 Pursuing a Master of Public Health with a focus on Community and Public Health

Joseph Chacon had a declared major in geosciences when a family tragedy struck. He developed an addiction, and remained in school, but ended up not doing well. When faced with what to do about his undergraduate degree, he was advised to declare a University University Studies.

“It helped me reevaluate my beginning career choice,” Chacon says. “A lot of the classes I chose to take helped me understand myself and why and how I’d ended up where I was in life, and that guided me towards public health.”

Chacon is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Public Health, and he says that the diversity and broad perspective he gained as a University Studies student has been beneficial to his studies and career choice. “It’s a degree that is inclusive, and public health is something that is interconnected. Employers are always impressed with my wide understanding of diverse issues. I’m able to have conversations with just about anybody.”

While Chacon focused his undergraduate studies in the health sciences (psychology, exercise science), he was also able to take other courses of interest such as geology and philosophy classes. “In the real world all the work forces are interconnected,” he says. “This degree helped me see the interconnection.”