I’m a first-generation college student and I was drawn to Coursera by the top-notch courses from high-ranking universities and the financial aid that no other platform offered.
My parents came to America in search of a brighter future for our family. But because English wasn’t their first language and they didn’t study in my area of interest, it wasn’t always easy for me to find answers to questions about starting a business or the best marketing strategies to use, as no one in my family was educated in that field. Coursera helped fill many of those gaps in knowledge.
I’ve taken many courses, including the Foundations of Global Health Specialization from John Hopkins University and Entrepreneurship Specialization from the University of Pennsylvania. As someone who considers social good and impact to be very important, the Business Strategies for Social Impact course from the University of Pennsylvania was instrumental in helping me switch from a largely medicine-oriented career path to a business one. Weeks 2 and 3 (“How Business Drives Social Impact” and “Impact Measurement”) gave me a new perspective on how social good and business can be combined and utilized.
Through the credentials and skills I’ve learned from these courses, I was able to work on various projects and organizations in the startup and nonprofit sectors that would have otherwise been difficult for me to become involved in.
“Now, I have more confidence in my professional skills and I’m able to get my resume in the door and work on amazing projects. I‘m endlessly grateful for what Coursera has provided for me.”
With the skills I learned, I’ve been able to work with a wonderful nonprofit called Asian American Donor Program (AADP) which advocates for bone marrow donation awareness and helps register individuals into the bone marrow registry. I worked on building their high school program, overseeing and aiding in the formation of clubs and groups on campuses to educate teens. In addition, I worked on the 2017 Stanford Mental Health Innovation Challenge, an event for youth to pitch ideas to innovate the mental health field.
I’m currently a full-time student at UCLA and am finishing up the Business Analytics Specialization offered by the University of Pennsylvania. I’m also planning to do a marketing Specialization afterwards because despite marketing being my intended career field, it isn’t a major offered at UCLA. I think Coursera is a great option for college students like me who want to take courses from different universities or simply take a class that isn’t offered at their university!
