After earning her master小蝌蚪APP檚 degree from UL Lafayette in 2020, Olivia Larkins moved to Dallas, Texas, and built a career in health research.
She began as a research project coordinator at Baylor Scott & White Hospital. There, she made sure that heart failure clinical trials were completed successfully and helped submit the results to scientific journals.
Today, Larkins is a health IT data analyst for a major health organization.
Larkins' passion for public health research began in the Health Promotion and Wellness degree program. Read more about her experience in the program below.
As an undergrad, Olivia Larkins became a master of odd jobs 小蝌蚪APP retail, work study, babysitting, and dog sitting, among others. All the while she earned her bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 in Health Promotion and Wellness online, segueing into the pursuit of a master小蝌蚪APP檚 and, possibly, a doctorate.
Larkins, originally from New Orleans, chose the 小蝌蚪APP as a freshman in biology in 2012. 
小蝌蚪APP淚 knew I wanted to go away to college, but I didn小蝌蚪APP檛 want to go so far away that it wouldn小蝌蚪APP檛 be feasible for me to go home regularly,小蝌蚪APP she says.
By 2014, Larkins didn小蝌蚪APP檛 feel biology was the right fit. She says she wasn小蝌蚪APP檛 interested in medicine, but wanted to be in a health-related field.
Through the online HPW program, she found the chance to explore a number of career opportunities from corporate wellness to community health promotion as a health educator or community health worker.
小蝌蚪APP淭he curriculum does a good job of exploring potential career paths so you have an idea of what to pursue after graduation,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淭he program has a very broad area of study so it really gives you the opportunity to pursue your specific interests. ...The program showed me there were a lot of opportunities to pursue health education careers.小蝌蚪APP
The online format also fit Larkins小蝌蚪APP busy lifestyle.
小蝌蚪APP淚 always had multiple jobs while I was in school. So when I found out it was online, I thought it would be better for me and more flexible,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 like to complete work in advance, when possible, and that allowed me to have more flexibility with my work schedule and my personal time rather than having a set on-campus schedule.小蝌蚪APP
Staying on top of coursework and an array of jobs meant staying organized. Larkins says she set daily schedules for herself to stay on track. Deadlines and assignments for each class were merged into one calendar so she never missed anything.
That system and the ability to complete coursework from anywhere kept Larkins on track to graduate even after she broke her foot.
But when she needed support, she says, she found it.
小蝌蚪APP淢any of the online professors are still available for office hours, if you decide you would like to go in, but I小蝌蚪APP檝e found they have been really available to me via emails and phone calls,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淭hey小蝌蚪APP檙e flexible with their online students because they know many of them are working during the day.
小蝌蚪APP淭hey really set it up so that you can be successful.小蝌蚪APP
That includes preparation for the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam. Larkins passed her exam in May 2018, earning her CHES certification.
小蝌蚪APP淲ith any degree that comes with the opportunity for credentialing, I think it小蝌蚪APP檚 very important to take the exam, especially since the program does a really good job to prepare you for it,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚t just felt natural to take the exam once I graduated, almost as a culminating exercise after everything I had worked on.小蝌蚪APP
The relationships Larkins built with faculty and advisors have persisted as she小蝌蚪APP檚 continued to advance her education through the Master小蝌蚪APP檚 in Kinesiology program in Sports Management, Recreation, and Health Promotion.
Larkins works as a graduate assistant with Dr. Susan Lyman, kinesiology professor, who小蝌蚪APP檚 continued to guide Larkins in her interest in becoming a research professor.
小蝌蚪APP淚小蝌蚪APP檝e connected to her for a number of reasons,小蝌蚪APP Larkins says. 小蝌蚪APP淪he serves as a mentor to me in many ways.小蝌蚪APP
True to form, Larkins divides her time among not only her graduate studies and assistantship, but also as a clinical research coordinator, screening patients and collecting data, for a blood pressure study in conjunction with a private university.
Larkins will soon begin comparing doctoral programs. She says she小蝌蚪APP檒l begin applying in order to transition immediately from the master小蝌蚪APP檚 program to Ph.D. studies.
Since coming to the 小蝌蚪APP six years ago, Larkins says she小蝌蚪APP檚 fallen in love with the culture and support she小蝌蚪APP檚 found through HPW and beyond.
小蝌蚪APP淚小蝌蚪APP檇 love to come back in the future and teach at UL,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 love the family environment. It小蝌蚪APP檚 just a very homey place. Everyone is so nice, and they really take the time to impact each student on an individual level even though it is a big school.
小蝌蚪APP淚小蝌蚪APP檓 hoping the same impact the professors at UL had on me, I can have on future students.小蝌蚪APP
Request more information about exploring opportunities available through a bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 in Health Promotion and Wellness online.