Sarah King
Psychology senior
In high school, I enjoyed singing and playing guitar for elderly patients in nursing homes because I felt that, out of anyone, they needed it the most. My volunteer experience led me to becoming a music therapy major at Loyola, where I have participated in field work and service learning for multiple semesters.
By playing music at various sites, I was exposed to diverse environments within the care-giving field, and thus felt quite comfortable in a hospital setting. After interacting with the nursing staff on a regular basis, I found that nursing really appealed to me. Working in a music therapy capacity, I kept returning to the role and function of the nursing staff. While I love music and it remains a huge part of my life, I felt as though working in a nursing capacity was more challenging, more dynamic and had a more central component of care-giving that first attracted me to the health-care profession.
As a whole, I can safely say that my field and volunteer experience has not only shaped who I am as an individual, but has guided my career path and given me the opportunity to experience a day in the life of a music therapist, a nurse, a non-profit manager, activity coordinator, etc. If I had never had the opportunity to do field work when working as a music therapist, I could have continued with my major and ended up in a career path that wasn’t exactly the right fit for me.
Service learning and field work can be a great time to practice for your future career, but it can also be the impetus to change that career path. I believe that experiential learning through opportunities like these gives students the first-hand involvement in their field to fuel their drive toward a successful future in an area that is most suitable for them. Today, I am a psychology major preparing to enter a graduate level nursing program with the confidence that I know I am on the right path.
