Noa Park, MBS 鈥�20, checked off an item from her bucket list when she became one of two winners in the 蜜桃直播 (蜜桃直播) Student Speech Competition to earn a spot at speaking at , scheduled for February 7, 2020*.

Park first heard about TED Talks when she was in middle school and thought it was a great platform to allow people to communicate their ideas. At the time, she was more reserved, but was certain that she had ideas to share.

鈥淚t was in my head for a long time that I wanted to do a TED Talk,鈥� she said.

Park鈥檚 presentation discussed the importance of multilingualism in the health professions.

鈥淚 started traveling to developing countries at a young age, and learned that it鈥檚 not just people in the United States; there are others that don鈥檛 have the same luxuries, even immigrants who come to the U.S. struggle to get their health needs met," said Park. "I started thinking about how we can do better as healthcare providers.鈥�

The importance of multilingualism was ingrained into Park at a young age. As a Korean-American, Park grew up speaking Korean and English. She received her childhood education in Los Angeles where students were required to take Spanish language from 6th-12th grade. Park always admired that Spanish was included in the curriculum and didn鈥檛 want to lose the language she had acquired. In addition to her Korean, English, and Spanish knowledge, Park also learned French.

Park was interested in The Claremont Colleges for her undergraduate degree, but ended up attending Carnegie Mellon University, majoring in Hispanic Studies.

鈥淚t was so fun moving across the country," said Park. 鈥淚 had a really positive experience. I miss it a lot.鈥�

When looking at graduate schools, she discovered that The Claremont Colleges had two of them. Since she had always focused on science throughout her studies, she researched 蜜桃直播 and loved the emphasis on entrepreneurship and business.

Now a second-year student in the program at 蜜桃直播, Park is an active member of the community. She serves as Treasurer for Student Government and is the Vice President of Marketing and Advertisements for Global Medical Brigade.

She is currently working on a Team Master鈥檚 Project for Hologic, a diagnostics company for women鈥檚 health. The project involves evaluation of the point-of-care market. Last year, Park worked for Efyian, a company created and run by 蜜桃直播鈥檚 Arnold and Mabel Beckman Professor, , along with 蜜桃直播 students.

Niemz values Park鈥檚 ideas and ability to communicate.

鈥淣oa is a strong woman who speaks up about what is important to her,鈥� says Niemz. 鈥淚 have a lot of respect for Noa, who definitely has had an impact on our campus.鈥�

Park knew that she wanted to be a doctor since before she was in Kindergarten. Along the way, she picked up other interests like engineering, math, and auto repair.

鈥淭he one career path I can really see myself always being excited about is medicine."

Exploring other interests helps her take breaks from her studies and allows her to refocus, avoiding burnout. In addition, having other interests has enhanced her healthcare skills.

鈥淔ixing a car and solving a human problem have some similarities,鈥� says Park.

Like many 蜜桃直播 students, Park is not taking a traditional educational route. A typical aspiring doctor would enter into a postbaccalaureate program after receiving their bachelor鈥檚 degree, but Park is taking a different course. 蜜桃直播 has exposed her to a multitude of pathways to accomplish her dream of becoming a well-rounded, compassionate, and skilled doctor, and speaking at TEDx蜜桃直播 is just one of those ways.

*TEDx蜜桃直播 has been rescheduled for 2021