I have some big news to share: I’ve been accepted into Harvard University’s Master of Public Health in Epidemiology program! My family and I are getting ready to move to Boston for this next big chapter. (A part-time program, but we’re relocating to take fuller advantage of the city and the Harvard community.)
As I reflect on this journey, I realize it wasn’t a straight path—it was a series of unexpected turns, setbacks, and small steps forward. Along the way, I’ve learned a few lessons about faith, career growth, and the importance of having a strong foundation of support. Whether you’re navigating career pivots, facing uncertainty, or thinking about your next step, I hope these insights resonate with you.
Why Public Health & Epidemiology?
Moving to the U.S. at 17, I embraced the American Dream and the promise of opportunity and success. Over time, I realized the U.S. healthcare system’s struggles with cost, quality, and access threaten this ideal for countless people. Despite being the highest spender on healthcare in the world, the country lags in many health outcomes, and medical expenses remain a leading cause of personal bankruptcy.
That realization inspired me to work in healthcare and make a difference in an industry that impacts the lives of everyone. My journey took me from Cigna, a Fortune 15 health insurance and services company—where I priced medical stop loss insurance, built machine learning predictive models, and managed virtual care solutions—to Eden Health and Centivo, a virtual-first primary care practice now part of a health plan startup, where I led strategic initiatives in Customer Success and ran data analytics.
With each step, I found myself drawn closer to patient care and population health. That growing passion led me to Harvard’s MPH in Epidemiology, where I aim to:
- Broaden my healthcare domain knowledge to foster collaboration across diverse sectors.
- Deepen my analytics skills in biostatistics and applied epidemiology (statistical programming, study design, causal inference, survival analysis, etc.) to design data-driven population health solutions that improve health outcomes on a broader scale.
When I started my healthcare career over eight years ago as a health actuary, I didn’t even know what epidemiology or population health were. Looking back on this non-linear journey, I’ve realized three key lessons shaped my path.
Lesson 1: We Make Plans, But God Directs Our Steps
“We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.” – Proverbs 16:9
A Tale of Two “Failures”
Unrealized Management Consulting Dream
- In college senior year, I was determined to join a top management consulting firm. However, Temple University isn’t a typical “target school,” so I hustled through countless networking events and LinkedIn outreach. I eventually scored an interview with McKinsey after cold-calling a partner who graciously agreed to give me a shot. I made it to the final round but didn’t get the offer.
- Silver Lining: That closed door led me to Cigna’s Actuarial Executive Development Program, an incredible rotational program, where I:
- ✅ got to work in three different functions in six years
- ✅ passed all professional exams to become a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA)
- ✅ as a side hustle, launched an enterprise-wide employee innovation program (including an award-winning Shark Tank–style pitch competition)
MBA Rejection
- In 2022, believing an MBA was the key to advancing my career, I applied to Harvard, Stanford, and MIT—only to be rejected by all three. After months of preparation, crafting my application, and scoring a 740 (97th percentile) on the GMAT, the outcome was disappointing.
- Silver Lining: Instead of spending two years in business school, I joined Eden Health, a virtual first primary care startup—an experience that proved far more valuable than I could have imagined.
- From account managers, I learned how employers think about workforce health and how to build trusted client relationships through data-driven insights.
- From clinical and operations leaders, I learned how to improve care quality at both the individual and population levels, bridging the gap between patient care and business strategy.
Takeaway
- Becoming a Christian in college taught me that faith in myself alone wasn’t enough. Some problems are bigger than my own capacity, but nothing is bigger than God.
- Faith grounds you in hope and resilience. Rejection and setbacks don’t define your path; they simply redirect you to something better.
Lesson 2: The “Next Best Step” Strategy
When training a machine learning model, finding the global minimum is often impractical—you iterate and refine parameters to find good local minima instead.
When we train machine learning models, we typically don’t find one perfect, universal solution. Instead, we rely on iterative optimization, where we adjust parameters to reach a locally optimal result that performs well in the real world.
I’ve found a striking parallel in career decisions. Instead of obsessing over the elusive “perfect path,” focus on taking the next logical step that aligns with your goals and curiosities. For me, I focused on getting the most out of the opportunities in front of me and satisfying my curious mind:
📊 Actuarial Pricing → 📈 Data Science & Machine Learning → 🏥 Virtual Care Product Management → 📊 Population Health Analytics → 🎓 MPH in Epidemiology
Each move expanded my skill set and exposed me to new perspectives, leading me toward a clearer purpose.
Takeaway
Don’t wait for the “one big opportunity.” Regularly assess where you are, refine your approach, and take iterative steps to gradually clarify your goal and move get closer to it.
Lesson 3: Family as the Foundation
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” —African proverb
Although I’m the one enrolling at Harvard, this journey isn’t just mine. This move is both an exciting educational journey for me and a life-enriching opportunity for my family—a chance for us to grow, explore, and create new experiences together.
As we look for apartments in Boston, we’re not just optimizing for my commute to Harvard—we’re also prioritizing family-friendly amenities, church, parks, and spaces where our kids can thrive. We want to build a home where we can all flourish.
Having this foundation in place has been critical. Whenever I’ve doubted a decision or felt the weight of a big risk, my wife has been a sounding board, and my family reminds me of why I work hard—not just for personal success, but to create something meaningful for us to share. Our vision as a family keeps me grounded, giving purpose to every step forward.
Takeaway
Prioritize your family—not only as a source of support, but as the reason behind your efforts. Fruit of labor means little if there’s no one to share it with. Family gives purpose to the journey, turning success from a personal milestone into something deeply meaningful—something built and enjoyed together.
Wrapping Up: Toward a Brighter Future in Healthcare
I’m incredibly excited to begin this next chapter at Harvard, further driving healthcare innovation and population health. As I embark on this journey, I’d like to remind my future self and others that these three key lessons apply to any major life event:
- Trust in God’s plan—it’s always bigger than our own.
- Take the next best step—growth happens through iteration, not a perfect master plan.
- Lean on a strong foundation and prioritize family—success isn’t just about reaching a destination; it’s about who you bring along and who you build it for.
No matter where you are in your journey—exploring a new career path, launching a venture, or simply figuring out what’s next—I hope these insights help you navigate your own path with faith, iterative growth strategy, and a strong family foundation.
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Thanks for reading, and here’s to trusting the process—one step at a time. 🚀
WeZBest 