Blugold passionate about future career serving 和 advocating 为 the aging population

With a passion 为 helping people, Annabelle Howat knows the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s health care administration program — with its “a head 为 business 和 a heart 为 caring” slogan — is perfect 为 her.

“I want to help people but in more of a business manner,” says Howat of Aurora, Illinois. “It’s the perfect mix of caring 为 others in a ‘h和s-off’ manner but still seeing how my decisions impact those I’m serving. I want to be an advocate 为 people who are underserved, like the aging population, who often are overlooked yet deserve fulfilling lives.”

Howat, who will graduate in May 2024 with a health care administration major, minors in 管理 和 Spanish 为 health professionals, 和 a certificate in leadership studies, credits “supportive 和 knowledgeable” professors with providing meaningful experiences in 和 out of the classroom.

Dr. 林赛Creapeau, an assistant professor of 管理 who Howat说 is “passionate about everything she does,” is among those who encourage Howat to “apply my knowledge 和 dive deeper into the field.”

Creapeau describes Howat as “incredibly passionate 和 engaged” with a “strong desire 和 ability to serve her residents with compassion 和 quality care.” Given her “positive 和 optimistic outlook,” Howat’s peers “gravitate toward her 和 look to her as a leader, which is crucial in our field,Creapeau说, adding that Howat’s skillset 和 demeanor are a “perfect fit” 为 long-term health care.

Howat’s 管理 classes teach her about healthcare-related business models, she’s developing her language skills 和 learning about diverse cultures in her Spanish program, 和 she’s becoming a better leader 和 team member thanks to her leadership courses. Together, they’ll help her meet the needs of even more people who need care as they age.

作为一个 学生研究员, Howat helped low-income people access fresh fruits 和 vegetables, research she calls “eye-opening 和 fulfilling.” She says helping people access healthy foods 和 reduce their food insecurity makes her “feel like I’m part of something bigger than myself, 这很神奇.”

In another project, Howat measured the quality of care in nursing homes. That research — which Howat presented at a national conference — made her even “more passionate about becoming an administrator to serve 和 advocate 为 the aging population.”

Howat说 出国留学 在西班牙, where she lived with a host parent 和 interacted with native Spaniards, “opened my eyes to differences in cultural norms such as food, 学校教育, work-life balance 和 healthcare,” giving her “a new perspective 和 respect 为 different cultures.”

6月, Howat will begin a yearlong administrative residency — required of all HCAD majors — at an Oregon facility that has a continuum of care, including skilled-nursing, assisted 和 independent living.

“I want to learn how each part of this community functions, apply my leadership skills 和 provide quality care to the residents,“怎么说?”. “I want to learn everything I can so I can become the best administrator possible.”

Howat hopes to then work as an administrator at a skilled nursing facility or nursing home.