Chrissy Alden

I always joke, or half-joke, that I'm very stubborn. But I have a lot of resilience, I think I'm kind of gritty, you know, a little scrappy. I have a lot of drive in me, and I like to do good for the world. There's enough horrible things in the world and we don't need more of that, so if you can put a little positivity into it or leave things better than you found them, I think that's key.

I would say try everything, because you don't know what you like, and just follow what feels right to you. Because there's a lot of things that can surprise you that you never knew you were good at, or that you have an interest in, until you try. I think it's important to keep your options open ffbecause you never know what type of doors will open for you.

I would say don't cut yourself short. You need to explore every opportunity. Don't say you can't do it until you actually try to do it. And even if you do fail at that thing, it's a learning opportunity. Do it again. Maybe do something different. But there's always a way to attain what goal you're setting out for. It may take you a little while, especially if you're a woman who's disabled, but that's okay, it's your path, go your pace, it's nobody else's business. Just do what you need to do. Don't listen to the outside noise. Use that noise and anyone saying you can't do something as motivation.

The challenges I've faced include health challenges and trying to fit in with mainstream people who don't have those challenges, as well as rebuilding my life. The financial aspect is huge too - there's not many options for students, especially older students, in the United States. Sometimes it comes down to the only options being private loans, and if you don't have family members to ask, you're kind of at a loss for funding your education, so therefore you can't get ahead, and it's a vicious cycle. As for opportunities, there's always room to grow in health information. It's such a diverse field that you can do so many different things, from data and security to coding to management. And they all have their own different set of skills, so I think that's great to have that diverse set of opportunities. There's room for growth in both the field itself and personally.

Authenticity is one for both work and personal life. I think you should always be your true self and align what you're doing in your life with that. I also think that being open-minded is a huge for opportunities but also being openminded for listening to other people. I think we learn a lot from other people. And I think having a curiosity for life and in what you're doing is key and vital to succeeding.