Desire to help people drives Boilermaker experiences for two May 2025 Purdue graduates

Written By: Rebecca Hoffa, [email protected] 

From providing financial advice to engaging in impactful research and beyond, graduates of the Purdue University College of Health and Human Sciences are taking giant leaps in making lives better. Senior Amira Garwood and PhD student Yitong Wang are no exception as they each prepare to embark on their next big adventure after walking across the stage at the May 18 commencement ceremony. 

A new beginning 

Amira Garwood(Photo provided)

When Garwood, a student in the White Lodging-J.W. Marriott, Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM), transferred to Purdue at the beginning of her sophomore year, she opened herself up to a world of possibilities, both within her financial counseling and planning major and in other extracurricular activities at the university. Now, as she prepares for her final days as an undergraduate, she’s reflecting on the people and experiences that have made Purdue home. 

“Looking back on these four years, I feel really confident in my relationship building, and especially in financial planning, that’s so important,” Garwood said. “Purdue has really helped me grow in my communication skills.” 

As a people person, Garwood has appreciated the leadership and networking opportunities her major and involvement at Purdue have afforded her, including serving as co-president of Purdue’s Financial Planning Association (FPA) Student Chapter and as sisterhood chair for her sorority chapter, Kappa Kappa Gamma.  

“Since it is a smaller major that’s not in the business school, you get more intimate relationships with your professors and your classmates, so I really enjoyed that,” Garwood said. “I feel like I’ve been thriving, and it’s a really good feeling knowing that making that change in transferring was the right decision.” 

Garwood poses for a photo in front of her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma.(Photo provided)

Garwood recently started a position as a financial services representative at Fidelity Investments, where she maneuvers a full-time job around finishing her final class. After she completes her training period, she will help clients with their financial needs, starting on the phone before moving full-time to the office. The job culminated from an internship Garwood secured with Fidelity Investments after her junior year on a visit to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Financial Planning Career Day with Purdue’s FPA Student Chapter.  

“That’s where I met the branch manager at the Fidelity Investments branch where I work now, and we really hit it off,” Garwood said. “She wanted me at her specific branch, so that was a really great feeling that she really valued me. Ultimately, I’m grateful that Purdue gave me this path — I wouldn’t have gotten this job or met so many people if I hadn’t come here.” 

In addition to being named the HTM Outstanding Junior, Garwood was also one of 10 HTM students selected for an exclusive leadership program in Washington, D.C., in 2024, where she visited Marriott International headquarters. 

“Being chosen to go to Washington, D.C., as the only financial planning student was incredible,” Garwood said. “To think that there’s such a pool of people and I was chosen, it’s really cool to think about.” 

For Garwood, the people are what she will miss most at Purdue, from influential faculty and staff members to her friends and peers throughout the university. 

“The students at Purdue are all really driven, and that’s something I admire,” Garwood said. “Everyone is fun, motivated and well-rounded.” 

Experiential impact 

Yitong Wang(Photo provided)

When Wang, a School of Nursing (NUR) doctoral student, graduated from Purdue with her bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2019 and began her career as a bedside nurse at Cleveland Clinic, she had no idea the difficulties that were in store for her. As she worked through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she began to see the experiences her fellow nurses were having, which inspired her to return to school for her PhD. 

“I saw many of the struggles and stress that not only the patients and their families experienced but also the nurses and nurse managers,” Wang said. “That made me think about a research area I could pursue to help them, which led me to earning a graduate degree at Purdue. 

“Having that experience is really important because it really inspired my interest. Without that experience, I couldn’t have seen all the suffering those nurses faced. This experience really showed me those challenges and helped me to develop those predictors in my work.” 

Wang (left) celebrates successfully defending her dissertation with her mentor, Karen Foli (right). (Photo provided)

After taking a NUR theory class, Wang was connected with now-professor emerita Karen Foli, who served as her mentor throughout her PhD and helped her build her research skills.  

“[Foli’s] interests and expertise really matched with my research interests,” Wang said. “Since I’ve worked with her as her research assistant, she’s taught me so many things. I wouldn’t have made it this far without her.” 

On March 24, Wang successfully defended her dissertation and plans to pursue a role as a tenure-track faculty member at a research-intensive university. Ultimately, she hopes to continue her work to have an influence on the field for nurses and nurse managers. 

“So many times we’ve heard, ‘Nurses are the heroes,’ but we don’t know what their daily lives look like or their daily challenges,” Wang said.