A Cali Girl in Arizona

From my bio, you all know that I am from around the Disneyland area in Orange County, California. Living there and living here is certainly different. As a California girl I have been subjected to the stereotype of being extremely busy or extremely relaxed when the reality is that I am little bit of both. In addition there is the pressure of looking good and having the perfect life with a great partner and loving parents. I am lucky that I am comfortable with whom I am and that I have supportive parents.

Another piece of information that is important to my education is that I previously attended Washington State University. Life in Arizona is certainly different than life in Washington. This journey started my Senior year in high school when I was applying to colleges. I applied to 5 colleges and was selected to decide between Arizona State and Washington State. I visited both in hopes that it would create a clear indicator of where I should attend, but it was just the exact opposite. I received a large reality check when I visited ASU Tempe in that it was my new future
and a large campus to be at. So when I went to WSU I new what to expect and felt more comfortable, and for that reason I selected that school. I had two very different weather selections to choose from and as a girl from California it was one that I looked forward to. Another reality check came my first winter in Washington.

For girl that had never been in snow this was certainly new and I was not prepared. After my second winter I realized I was not meant for snow and that reason I looked into transferring to another school closer to home and weather that I could live in. My intentions were to move back to California in efforts to also save money by only having to pay for in-state tuition, but sadly not many schools in California were able to transfer my credits. Thankful, Arizona State University has the option of evaluating classes to determine how they would transfer and support a degree. In addition there was a more creative and applicable degree that I was able to earn to support my future career in public service. It was a win-win with an added bonus of being considered for WUE. And with that I am completing my degree at Arizona State University soon and looking forward to starting my career back in California!

Turning 21!

Today I turned 21. An important age in our society. It is at this age you are allowed many privileges not granted to those of a younger age. It is also an indicator you are getting older. With every passing age life seems to be more complicated but at the same time it can be rewarding. This has certainly been the case for me. I have been a student since the age of 5 and soon I will be graduating with a college degree. A lot has clear happened within those years, school being my main priority. Next would be my family as I have a large family that have all wished me happy birthday and to treat myself to something special today after work.


For my birthday I am going to San Diego with my parents for some quality relaxation time for the weekend. Usually 21 year olds go to Las Vegas and drink and party often almost forgetting that night, but I would rather remember and spend it with my family. With most of my family being all over the map it is often difficult, so I do plan on celebrating when I come home for a few days near Christmas. The weekend with my parents will be special though as they are paying for the trip for me to meet them out there as I am on a college budget and could not afford it otherwise. San Diego, CA has a special place in my heart as that is where the best memories of family time have occurred as well as enjoying the culture. I look forward to the weekend ahead and the life after graduation!

Internship Informtion and Schedule

From my previous post I mentioned the company I am interning for HealthCare Talent through CalOptima. This might sound a little confusing so let me clarify, just to make it easier.

HealthCare Talent is a scholarship agency that places students with large stable and established companies with the goal that the student will develop real world experience in temporary positions. These positions can have any date range as well be for any department. I was placed with CalOptima which is a public healthcare agency in the state of California for the Orange County population served by Medicare and Medi-Cal. The company provides the needed tools for members to receive care short term and long term.

My internship is in the department of Health Education and Disease Management at CalOptima. For this department I will be supporting a large team in a two section department in daily activities as well as special events and projects. In serving such a large population like Orange County, the demand for health education per multiple health topics as well as support in managing common diseases and conditions is at the highest volume in years. With such a high intake scheduling as well as sending out information has become very difficult, but per regulations must be completed within 5 days of contact from the member. So I am interning to support the department with their high volume intake in hopes that it will relieve some of the stress within the department as well as determine more efficient process for the future. In addition per federal regulations ICD-10 coding is in effect at the beginning of the school year within the healthcare industry, but many doctor's offices and clinics are not prepared for this update. So part of my internship is supporting and preparing for trainings for doctors and professionals within our network- external and internal- for the beginning of the year.

A Day in the Life

A typical day at my internship:

My day starts off by preparing my work area on both floors (7th and 10th) making sure that it is clean and ready for my specific given task. After preparing I go on a coffee run for anyone in the department or prepare the meeting room for a special events. It is often the case that the meetings require a breakfast set up and it is my duty to make sure that the catering staff are given anything they might need. After that I assist my co-workers in processing request and referrals for health information or programs. CalOptima works with the community in providing two options for Obesity members seeking support and weight management programs. If the member is seeking information or specific support on weight management and nutrition they are sent to a health coach. Disease Management is assigned members when a referral is processed for one of three specific conditions. If the member is seeking or the doctor requests health information they are often mailed information in the form of handouts. It is a long and complicated process that uses a special system that is still in the developing stages so it often takes most of the day.

When I am not processing referrals or requests I am either entering evaluation data from events and documentation, inventory, or completing any other tasks needed by the department. Similar to an everyday job my hours are from 8 AM to 5 PM with a half hour lunch. Every Friday I have my one on one session with my supervisor to go over the week and the tasks I have completed as well as any upcoming tasks. I have really enjoyed my time here and look forward to developing my skills.