Becoming ‘That Person’ for Someone Else

Health and Wellbeing Sciences (HWS) student Trina Zanon knew she wanted to work in the medical field at an early age. When she was 11 years old, her father was diagnosed with Stage 3 pancreatic cancer. He underwent radiation, chemotherapy, a Whipple procedure, and more.

“I remember sitting there, realizing this was the reality of disease progression,” Trina recalls. “It was devastating. It absolutely sucked. But even in that difficult time, I witnessed something powerful—a team of healthcare professionals working with determination and compassion to save someone’s life. That left a mark on me. I thought, what if I could be that person for someone else?”

But First, College and the Right Major

Trina transferred to the Health and Wellbeing Sciences major after a serendipitous encounter at a club meeting for aspiring physician assistants.

“Pretty much all of the officers and the other members of the club there were Health and Wellbeing Sciences majors,” she says. “They mentioned to us in the meeting that we could get an emphasis in pre-PA studies, which seemed to help a lot of them quite a bit. So then I looked it up. It seemed like it made so much sense to have a major that was tailored for what I was ultimately going for in my profession.”

Since the HWS degree is highly customizable, Trina was able to choose the classes that she would need to position herself as a good candidate for PA school. Her advisor, Amy (AJ) Burger Sanchez, knows what type of coursework graduate schools are looking for and helped her select a range of classes in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, and microbiology, as well as electives in communications, calculus, and psychology.

“I was also able to take classes that are really important for other aspects of healthcare that aren't necessarily taught in other majors, like economics, health insurance, and public health. It's one of the parts that I appreciated most about it,” Trina says.

Building a Foundation in Compassionate Care

Trina grew even more determined after she shadowed a physician assistant at Regions Hospital. While she watched her do a lumbar puncture, Trina was struck by how capable, confident, and well-trained the PA was in a wide variety of procedures.

“As a PA, you're always learning new things and growing in your skills,” Trina explains. “Whether it’s emergency medicine, surgery, or primary care—I want to be part of that kind of dynamic environment.”

She adds, “Everything that the PA was telling me about her job and her life outside of it just fit perfectly with what I wanted. It was exactly the kind of meaningful, sustainable career I’d envisioned.”

Being a PA sounded like the flexible, fulfilling, and exciting career she was looking for. She thought, “whatever I need to do to do this, I will do it.”

Trina also gained critical exposure to the healthcare field working as a CSA (clinical support associate) at Children's in Saint Paul, accumulating the hours that are required for most graduate PA programs. She worked on several different floors but spent most of her time in the emergency department, where she encountered patients from a range of backgrounds.

The hospital placed a strong and genuine emphasis on fostering a diverse and inclusive environment. Staff received thorough training on cultural, religious, and ethical considerations, and accommodations were thoughtfully provided—including interpreters, culturally appropriate clothing, and dedicated spaces for various religious practices. What stood out most to Trina was how receptive and intentional the care environment was. This experience, coupled with the ethics and health literacy courses she was taking at the time, deepened her understanding of and commitment to cultural competence in healthcare.

“You could just tell how much more patients felt supported in that space,” she says. “Now I know the things to look for in a job. These are things that are green flags for where I want to work, so I can give the best patient care.”

This summer, Trina will bring her empathy and commitment to care to the University of Wisconsin-Madison's physician’s assistant program—then beyond, where she will no doubt work tirelessly to improve the quality of life for her patients and their families.

Pro Tips for Students

• "Plan ahead as much as possible. I feel like planning is one of the things that gave me the most peace throughout my journey , and that I'm the most proud of.
• "Meet with your advisor a lot, because they're so helpful. AJ was just incredible. She was able to connect me to a lot of valuable resources.” AJ also guided her toward the right courses to meet the requirements of specific graduate programs.
• "But also give yourself grace. It's so realistic that these things will just happen as they may. We're all just kind of running around flailing, but it all figures itself out. … So many people take gap years and gap years are so amazing! So many people reapply for PA school and will have multiple application cycles. It will all work out!"

Memorable Course

Pathology for Allied Health Students 

“It's taught by doctors from different hospitals in Minneapolis. It's online, so I could watch the lectures in my room and take notes. It's so relevant, because you get a really wide array of specialties to learn about. We'll learn one week about cardiac pathology, and then we'll learn about neurological disorders the next. We'll talk about their case studies. Every pre-health student should be required to take this class because it gives you a really good primer to what you're going to be learning about in PA or Medical School and it is so nice to put together some different pathologies before diving in head first in school.”