Student Spotlight: Kristen D'Aquila

 

During my undergraduate training I struggled with deciding on what I wanted my future to look like. I entered undergrad as a chemical engineering major, but I did not see myself as an engineer for the rest of my life. I have always had a passion for learning new things and ultimately decided on majoring in secondary education with a focus on life science. In my 3^rd and 4^th year of undergrad I worked at a school for students with disabilities which set my foundation for teaching. After graduation I accepted a position in the high school setting teaching biology, physical science, and environmental science. I appreciated how diverse my students were in their learning styles and I enjoyed using different strategies to teach concepts in order to reach all of the students. While teaching our genetics unit, I collaborated with my colleagues to create a project surrounding genetic conditions. This project was my first exposure to the career of genetic counseling. I invited GC students from a local program to talk with my students about the genetic counseling field and their role in healthcare. I found myself drawn to the career and started to explore opportunities to learn more about it.

After a few years of teaching, I came to realize a career in genetic counseling could engage my interests in life-long learning and teaching, while providing an opportunity for meaningful interactions on a very personal basis with patients. I decided it was time to change careers. Making the decision to leave teaching was difficult. I had established myself in the school and built relationships with the students and colleagues. I was scared of moving into the unknown. I ultimately decided to leave teaching after I had the opportunity to shadow a genetic counselor. Being able to experience the impact GCs can make affirmed that this is what I wanted to do. While changing career paths has been one of the most difficult decisions I had made, it has been on of the greatest decisions. I left teaching to become a genetic counseling assistant (GCA) at a local hospital system in a cancer clinic. My time as a GCA validated my choice of switching careers and provided me with a deeper understanding of the field. I was able experience the “behind the scenes” of genetic counseling and develop my skills by speaking to patients on a daily basis about genetics, documenting patient interactions, generating test requisitions, investigating patient insurances, and calling out VUS downgraded (benign) results.

During my graduate training at the University of Pittsburgh, I have been able to pull on skills that I have developed through my teaching and GCA experience. I believe building a solid foundation of transferable skills has been extremely helpful when transitioning into my clinical rotations. My unique background in teaching can provide different perspectives and I feel that the program leadership, rotation supervisors, and my classmates value my background and experiences. Finding the right career for you can be a difficult journey, and I am grateful for all of the people who have helped me along this path. I am thankful to be a part of Pittsburgh’s genetic counseling program and I look forward to the next steps of finding a job.  

-Kristen D'Aquila