When I photograph seniors, I always open the session with a question, "What's your master plan?" Very few actually have an answer, which is totally fine, and I direct them to the Meyers-Briggs test  on the website 16personalities.com. It will give them a freakishly accurate  assessment of what they should pursue based on who they are and the career/occupation they would then be the most successful in. Everyone has their own path in life and unfortunately our kids are often pressured to conform to some imaginary societal timeline of perceived success and make enormous financial decisions about college and careers when they have no idea of the scope of that impending burden at seventeen years old. Part of my inspiration for and goal of The Alumni Project is to prove to everyone that no matter what your path post-graduation is, your path is actually the same as so many others. You are never alone or the only one following that direction. We just don't often talk about.

I'm so happy I had the opportunity to work with Paige Pikulski for my 'The Alumni Project'. Paige is a CHS Class of 2011 alumni and scholar athlete having played soccer and lacrosse in school. She was one of my last seniors I photographed at my old Watch Factory studio. I remembered she had gone to UConn after graduation but wasn't sure I remembered what she planned to major in. She has quite a life story since graduation, which to her and others who follow a similar path, always brings feelings of doubt about the direction of their lives. I always say, you realize that only 63% of college students go on to graduate within six years (for a four year degree) and of those 43% never work in the field they majored in, you won't have negative feelings about making life changes and taking a little longer to discover "what you are meant to do". 

Paige was a Psych major, inspired by Mr. Rood's class and his stories of the profession. Though now on a slightly different trajectory, she dropped some Clinical Psych wisdom on me about my own life, with three words, that no one has ever expressed or pointed out and that I certainly have never thought about. I'm blown away. At my age looking back and revisiting memories of what my own life has been. Wow. She's good.

Did you know before graduating Cheshire High what you wanted to do career wise?

I thought I did. I had my sights set on becoming a clinical psychologist in high school. That was still the plan all throughout college and several years after until I realized my heart wasn’t in it anymore.

What did you end up doing post grad - College, Trade, Military?

After graduating from CHS, I went to UConn and received my BA in psychology. In my sophomore year, I studied abroad in Wollongong, Australia and visited Sydney, Melbourne, Cairns, the Great Barrier Reef, and New Zealand. In my senior year, I began volunteering as a student research assistant in a Child and Adolescent Mood Program at UConn Health and I was offered a paid position upon graduation. After that, I worked as a clinical research assistant for that lab in West Hartford for several years on multiple studies in the lab. I was able to produce a first-author publication, present a poster at a conference, and collaborated with colleagues on other manuscripts. However, my favorite part of my job was working directly with participants. I would conduct diagnostic interviews and became comfortable discussing some difficult topics such as anxiety, depression, and Intimate Partner Violence.

Where are you now and how did you end up here?

After an existential crisis which resulted in a change in my trajectory (see below), I completed my EMT training in New Britain and was accepted into the Pre-Medical and Health Professions Post-Baccalaureate Program at UConn. Upon completion of the program, I became an EMT for Trinity Health of New England and have worked in Waterbury and Cheshire (let me tell you… COVID PPE + New England summer weather + staircases in Waterbury = not a good time).

I moved back home after finishing my post-bacc to save for PA school. I start my PA program at the end of May, and I feel so fortunate to be in a situation that allows me to mitigate the financial burden of school. Plus, if being an EMT has shown me anything, it’s that the time spent with loved ones is SO important. To end up here, I had to confront a lot of fears and change my way of thinking. Once I decided on changing career paths to pursue PA school, I took the required courses, gained direct patient care experience, shadowed a PA in the cardiovascular unit at Saint Mary’s (got to watch two open heart surgeries!!!!), and submitted my application to a few PA schools. It all paid off because I received several offers. When I first made the decision to change my career path, I had my sights set on Quinnipiac – so getting into my top choice has made my sacrifices feel worth it even more. 

Where are you working now?

I’ve been an EMT in Waterbury and Cheshire. I make sure my ambulance is in good shape, I shake my head at all the cars who don’t pull over and stop when I’m driving with sirens, I get to help someone during what may be the worst day of their life, I try to educate and advocate for patients, I get to connect with some incredible people, I see first-hand the flaws in our medical system... and I think I’ve only cried on one shift?

How has the journey to where you are now been? We all have stories of trials and tribulations that we learn from.

Making the decision to veer off the course you mapped out for yourself is terrifying. I had to confront internalized feelings of being a failure for not wanting to continue down the PhD path. I worried that my degree and my years in research were a waste. I also felt this internal and societal pressure of a made-up timeline saying when I should be hitting every milestone in my life. But with the help of an amazing mentor, I deconstructed those thoughts, began trusting myself, and went out to find that spark I had been missing. 

I found myself gravitating towards healthcare, specifically PA, but still had some doubts. First, I worried I would be squeamish… so I enrolled in EMT training and found that I LOVE the “gross” medical stuff. My next hurdle was taking a lot of pre-requisite courses since I hadn’t taken them during my undergrad. To do that, I applied and was accepted into the pre-medical post-bacc at UConn. I had always been a good student, but I wanted to be better. Now, I was stepping back onto the UConn Campus as the student I always wanted to be. I completed my post-bacc with a 4.0 GPA and realized I love being a student. 

Since completing my post-bacc, I have been working as an EMT and am now taking some time off to spend the last few days before school relaxing, skating, and spending time with my boyfriend and friends (he starts PA school in June). This time when everything went according to the plan, it finally felt right. And now, I see my unconventional journey as a strength; my psych background is helping me become the type of provider I want to be for my patients. I think things are finally falling into place because I’m not forcing any timeline and I’ve found something I really love to do. 

Where and what would you like to be doing / accomplish in your future?

I want to be a Physician Assistant. I’m not exactly sure what I want to be doing in the field yet, but that is part of the reason why I felt PA was the best fit for me. It’s a generalist training so I can go where life takes me. As of right now, I could see myself going into emergency medicine for a little bit (that burnout is a real thing though) and/or women’s health (especially with the social climate right now). However, I’ll be going into school and clinicals with an open mind and am excited to see where I’ll find myself. No matter what, I want to have a positive influence on people’s lives and find fulfillment both in and outside 

What do you do or where do you go in your free time? 

My free time is spent roller skating on tennis/basketball courts or the Farmington Trail. I also squeeze in going to the gym and spending time with the people I care about. I’m a fan of breweries and wineries. I’ve always been an animal lover so my free time at home is spent with my animals and throughout the year, I take on foster assignments when it fits with my work schedule. My happy place has become anywhere I can skate. Whether it’s down the Farmington Canal Trail or one of the tennis/basketball courts around town, being able to put on my skates and listen to music can completely change a shitty day into a good one.  

Also, since CHS, I have been to several music festivals (Bonnaroo is always #1), became a pescatarian (going on 10 years now!), driven cross-country to help a friend move to San Fran, dabbled in rock climbing and ukulele, fostered over 20 animals.

Paige starts PA school at QU tomorrow. We all know she's going to crush it and her patients are going to be the beneficiaries of her experiences and decision to follow her own path on her own timeline.