3 minute read
Tiffany Golangco
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Avy Salvador
WRITTEN BY ANGELA ROSS IBARRA
WHEN ASKED how she would describe a genius, Avy Cathleen Salvador (4 BS HS, Minor in Management) shares, “Someone who can transform thoughts into actions.”
She further elaborates that a genius—much like Jimmy Neutron or Heinz Doofenshmirtz—can creatively find their way to apply what they have learned into practical situations.
A consistent honors student, Health Sciences program awardee, and summa cum laude with a long list of co-curricular activities, Avy has shown that her achievements spring from continuously applying herself.
LESSONS LEARNED
Avy is from a family involved in business but she was free to follow her own dreams. Hearing her relatives talk about making a difference in the health sector encouraged her to pursue medicine.
In senior high school, she took the General Academic Strand with some Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics electives to widen her options in college. Eventually, Avy was inspired to choose Health Sciences as her major. An alumnus of her school talked to her about it and she saw how it highlighted the interdisciplinarity of health. Seeing that the course was also compatible with Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health’s (ASMPH) requirements, Avy was pushed to pursue the course—but she did not stop there.
Avy also took on a minor in Management because she already had experiences in Finance from her co-curricular activities. For Avy, Management complements Health Sciences because, in practice, being in the public health sector is not just about hard sciences. It deals with governance, managing and analyzing information, and leadership. Moreover, her roles in organizations in Ateneo are in the field of management, so getting a minor helped her be a better member.
While Avy excelled both in academics and org life, her college life was not without challenges. In sophomore year, she doubted whether she belonged in the right course. She experienced culture shock since Health Sciences covered a broad range of fields and readings usually required deeper analysis of several factors.
For her, it was something to be considered a humbling experience. She learned that she does not always have to be the smartest person in the room. Not being the subject expert gave her the chance to learn from other perspectives. This hardship also taught her to approach uncertainty with an open mind and heart, which she would not have learned if she shifted right when things got tough.
BEING MORE
Despite hardships, Avy still managed to be a consistent honor student and held many positions in different organizations, including being President of Health Sciences Society (HSS) in her senior year. For her, these successes are not for pride; it is something inherent in her chosen path. “In [medicine], there is always a next milestone to achieve, so that pushes me to strive for success. Kaya ko naman, so why will I hold back?” to apply herself in public health, hone her skills in other fields, and build a community with fellow Ateneans. However, she says that it takes a lot of effort in staying active in these. “Saying yes to an event or position means saying yes to it everyday before and even after,” she shares.
Ultimately, one of Avy’s deepest motivations is her love for her family. “Making my family proud and seeing them happy makes me happy,” she shares. She appreciates everything they do for her so she wants them to see the fruit of their labor.
Avy’s college experience can be summarized by the phrase, “Becoming and doing more.” Four years in Ateneo taught her that Magis means going the extra mile out of love. Reflecting on her college journey, Avy believes that love fueled much of her actions.
THE NEXT MILESTONE
With an academic scholarship to ASMPH, Avy is ready for her next milestone. She hopes to keep applying herself and pursuing her passions. While she hopes to specialize in tertiary care, she is still open to being active as a public health advocate as the pandemic really emphasized the problems with public health in the country.
Avy hopes that public health could be more integrated in the communities in the future. She believes that public health is not a campaign or business tactic, so hopefully, those who promise to prioritize it can follow through. After all, prioritizing public health means saying yes to all the hard work it takes to integrate it in the society.
