Paul Hom Asian Clinic provides free health care to Asian population in Sacramento

By LYNN CHEN — features@theaggie.org

Student-led organizations from UC Davis can make great impacts on local communities. The Paul Hom Asian Clinic, a free student-run clinic located in Sacramento, is dedicated to providing free primary care services to the underserved and uninsured Asian population in Sacramento.

Eight different health-related committees comprise the undergraduate branch of the clinic, each focused on looking after a specific aspect of patient health. For example, there are committees revolving around neurology, women’s health and Covered California services.

In order to accomplish its mission in a linguistically and culturally sensitive manner, the organization also offers translation services concurrent to its clinical setting. You can find student volunteers who speak languages such as Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean and even Spanish.

The clinic itself is staffed by undergraduates, medical students and doctors from UC Davis and its medical school, all of whom are passionate about advocating for adequate health care for Asian immigrants.

“It was never pushed upon us that we needed to work harder,” Aastha Lele, recent UC Davis graduate and previous English patient advocate for the Paul Hom Asian Clinic, said. “Everyone [knew] that they wanted to do well, and it was a culture I really enjoyed being a part of.”

David Wei, a first-year economics major, agreed with this sentiment as well. Wei has already visited the clinic once and is a current applicant for the Mandarin patient advocate position.

“It’s super cool to see how detail-oriented everyone was about the most effective way to treat patients,” Wei said.

Students at the clinic were mainly motivated by the pressing medical needs they understood their patients had.

“[Our patients] wouldn’t be able to access health care anywhere else outside of our clinic,” Bradnon Gatanaga, an undergraduate co-director for the clinic, said. He is also currently a fourth-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major looking to enter the medical field.

“They have a language barrier and can’t go to any doctor or a regular healthcare service,” Gatanaga said. “But being able to provide such a unique, important and necessary service […] to people who [otherwise] wouldn’t be able to get — that is such a gratifying experience.”

The level of cultural competence the clinic maintains for its patients is part of what makes it such an impactful organization, to both the patients and those who work at the facility.

“What makes the [volunteer experience] so redeeming is that a lot of patients really valued what we did as undergrads,” Lele said. “When I spoke Hindi to a few of the patients I translated for, it made them feel like they were at home and being taken care of. They would invite me over for dinner and say stuff like, ‘I’ll cook like your grandma does!’”

Though Lele had to decline their offers, she was touched by how much the patients appreciated what the volunteers did. In fact, this experience from being part of the Paul Hom Asian Clinic is one of the reasons Lele is a pre-med student now.

The organization also provides effective medical treatment in concurrence with its translation services.

“One of our patients came in and brought us a whole box of doughnuts, just because they were so grateful for us being able to help them with a [health issue] that they’ve been having,” Gatanaga said.“They actually did have a primary care provider of their own who wasn’t [that effective]. But then they came to our clinic and said that our care was really phenomenal, and that [we] were really able to help them.”

Many of their patients actually have their own health insurance and can access primary care providers, according to Gatanaga. However, they choose to come to the Paul Hom Asian Clinic for its excellent and thorough services.

Beyond offering quality primary care services to the Sacramento Asian community, the organization is also committed to providing opportunities for its undergraduate members to gain experience in medicine.

Lele believed that the process of translating for patients and seeing how they get cared for by doctors developed members’ knowledge of medical treatments.

Additionally, when Lele was still in the clinic, medical students would often host “drug of the week” presentations to undergraduates. These were based on material the medical students themselves were currently learning.

“They made the meetings so that undergrads would be open to asking questions about the [drug] mechanisms that were being presented,” Lele said.

Despite all that it has already accomplished, the Paul Hom Asian Clinic is also working to continuously improve its work and the care it supplies.

For example, Gatanaga recently implemented a psychiatry screening program to ensure that at least once a year all patients can have an avenue to discuss their mental health.

“Since then, we’ve actually had a really big influx of patients coming into our psychiatry specialty days,” Gatanaga said. “I feel like I’ve been able to do a lot of projects that I’m [passionate] about. As a leader in the clinic, you really have the power to make changes.”

Written by: Lynn Chen — features@theaggie.org

UC Davis students reflect on what drew them to their majors

By JULIANA MARQUEZ ARAUJO — features@theaggie.org

The duration of college, however long it may be for each individual, is a tedious journey through students’ exploration of their careers. Throughout this time, students may doubt if the direction they are heading is the right one for them. Countless students find that with each class and professor, their passion for their major only grows. 

Inversely, numerous students decide to change their paths; in fact, about 80% of students change their majors at least once during their time in college.

When an interest or hobby turns into a career goal, multiple factors may play into the loss of passion for that certain interest.

First-year music major Chris Meza said that he has questioned his career goal.

“I was actually so worried about that when I first decided to stick with music,” Meza wrote through an Instagram direct message. “But I think because I chose [music] as my major, I only found it more interesting and enjoyable because I was able to take classes that really piqued my interest instead of becoming bored with it.”

A large factor in the process of a student’s educational journey is the confidence they gain from the classes they take. The ability to be offered various options to complete a major requirement gives students the freedom to experiment with classes that appeal to them most. For others, however, past experience helps build their motivation.

Second-year education studies graduate student Sabrina Aragon said she was deeply involved in school ever since she was young when her interest in teaching began.

“I have really just admired teachers for the longest time,” Aragon said.

Aragon shared her progress in honing her passion in a professional setting.

“[College] has allowed my passion to grow because I have been able to see how impactful it is to be in a position where I can help others also grow and love education, too,” Aragon said.

While Aragon was fortunate enough to view college as a place that has allowed her to explore her inspiration, she said there remains a large percentage of students who change their major, and ultimately, the direction they want their futures to head.

Grayson Tess, a first-year sustainable agriculture major, discussed the presumed hierarchy system within college majors.

“I feel like it’s a bit strange that you have to declare a major immediately,” Tess said. “I know that there’s an undeclared option but it is pretty far down there; it kind of sets a pressure to declare a major.”

Tess also highlighted the societal pressure on students to define their futures by declaring a major, but simultaneously asking them not to linger on indecisiveness.

“There is a thing within college and even without it — a pressure from people around you of, ‘You need to figure out what you’re doing with your life,’ and college is the place to figure it out, ‘But you shouldn’t be figuring it out for too long,’” Tess said.

Tess shared that their extensive planning before entering university contributed to their successful experience with their major. 

“In junior year, one of the topics for debate was whether organic agriculture should be implemented more, and I had a more fun time than I usually do doing that research, so I was like, ‘Oh, maybe I should look into this,’” Tess said.

They said that for months they focused extensively on a project centered around using algae as an alternative protein source, which caught their interest. 

“I kind of always knew that I wanted to do environmental science, and I think I especially knew that it was probably going to have to do with something like plants,” Tess said. “I felt for a while that a lot of sciences can be very disconnected with dealing with people, and after doing that project and seeing more real-world impacts, I felt that agriculture wasn’t going to be totally isolated.”

Students with majors that can lead them to emotionally intense jobs may have doubts for contrary reasons, such as ensuring their mental stability to handle the potentially jarring scenarios that come with their desired careers.

For example, Carol Rodriguez, a fourth-year psychology major, shared that social work can be intense and even triggering for those working in the profession. 

“There’s a couple of friends I know that work with kids specifically and [their] mental health, so seeing [the kids] struggle through it is like, ‘Whoa, that hurts,’” Rodriguez said. “It is something that is difficult but very rewarding because it is something that can help people [and] save people too.”

Rodriguez chose her major due to a personal connection with mental health.

“I am more interested in the mental health aspect of [psychology] and helping people with clinical stuff as well, since that’s something that I struggled with before,” Rodriguez said. “So I wanted to learn more about it and understand more about myself.”

Personal connections and hobbies may be the initial interest within many students’ majors, but the goal of college is to explore multiple fields so that eventually students may find themselves on the path best fit for them if they are not on it already.

“College is just some extension for trying new things and figuring out what you like and what you’re good at,” Tess said. “Putting pressure on yourself to pick a major you may not be connected to isn’t always the right decision. It’s okay to take your time to choose.”

Written by: Juliana Marquez Araujo — features@theaggie.org 

Students and alumni share details on the training process and what they’ve learned so far

By LYNN CHEN — features@theaggie.org

Arguably, one of the most important jobs on campus is the Unitrans transit driver. Many students and Davis locals depend on Unitrans to attend classes, run errands or just travel around town. The student-run transportation service is a safe, economical and environmentally conscious option for the city’s residents.

Trainees looking to become a driver must participate in a three-phase training process, according to Miles Riehle, a Unitrans transit driver and a third-year environmental policy analysis and planning major.

First, trainees and a cohort of others hired at the same time undergo in-person classes with a training manager to go over the basics of being a Unitrans employee, what the role will look like and how the training will progress.

Once they are finished with this phase, the drivers-to-be go through one-on-one training sessions with a trainer to earn their Class B licenses free of charge. During this step, trainees learn the mechanics of driving a Unitrans bus and get the feel of the process. 

During the third phase, called route training, new employees take control of a bus in service with a trainer beside them.

 “The whole process takes about a quarter, depending on how you do it,” Riehle said

Fortunately, despite how long and packed this process seems, Unitrans employees are compensated for their training.

Additionally, transit drivers gain a variety of skills with the experience of training and eventually working with Unitrans.

UC Davis graduate Elaine Pascual recalled what she learned in her time being a transit driver. 

“[I] definitely [learned] time management and being able to deal with people in a professional way without being stressed out,” Pascual said. 

Riehle reported a similar response to Pascual and further spoke on the professional benefits of the position. 

 “I feel like my customer service skills got a lot better,” Riehle said, “because you deal with people all the time — whether that’s people who are getting on the bus or people who have questions about where to go.”

He elaborated on this thought, noting that while transit drivers work mostly alone, their position also requires collaboration with their supervisors and other drivers to ensure that services run efficiently and safely.

“You have to be able to talk on the radio […] and have concise communication,” Riehle said. “Just being able to convey what you need to convey very efficiently, I think [that skill] has improved as well.”

Driving is, of course, another skill that is improved upon when trainees join Unitrans. 

“[…] I do think that driving a bus makes you a better driver generally,” Riehle said. “On top of that, [the job] gives you a sort of an acute awareness of your surroundings.” 

Riehle also explained that maneuvering a bus has allowed him to become more sensitive to other road users while driving.

Additionally, Unitrans drivers have very flexible job schedules that enable them to have a healthier work-life balance. For instance, employees get to choose what time their shifts happen and which lines they would like to operate. 

“[This] makes my schedule a lot more malleable,” Henry Guo, a third-year animal science major and current transit driver and route trainer at Unitrans, said. “I just need to pick up the minimum requirements [for shift hours]. If I have a heavy quarter, I wouldn’t pick up that many [hours], [but] if I have a light quarter, I can pick up more hours and get paid a little more. I get to prioritize [my schedule].”

Overall, being a transit driver for Unitrans demands skills on the road as well as with people, but there are also benefits that come with the job. To some, however, another bonus comes from just being able to transport passengers to where they need to be.

“There’s some pride that comes with driving your fellow students,” Riehle stated. “It’s a very cool position.”

Written by: Lynn Chen — features@theaggie.org