Student spotlight – Alena Skrundevskiy

Education is one of the four pillars of UNMC’s mission and our students are the lifeblood of that aspect of campus life.

In UNMC Today’s Student Spotlight, we get to know some of these students, who will become tomorrow’s health care professionals. Today we meet:

• Name: Alena Skrundevskiy
• Hometown: Jelgava, Latvia
• Program/Year: Dual M.P.H./M.B.A., third year

What sparked your interest in your chosen career path?

Ever since I had the opportunity to work with adults with disabilities in college I knew I was interested in health care. I love taking care of people, and I wanted to understand the systems that supported their health. My goal after graduation is medical school, but I knew I wanted to make a greater impact to improve the health care system through health administration.

List three songs on your playlist.

• “Paint,” by The Paper Kites
• “Living Proof,” by Gregory Alan Isakov
• “Michigan,” by The Milk Carton Kids

Your favorite study snack is:
Coffee. And if I’m having coffee, I like to follow it up with a chocolate chip cookie.

Your favorite app is:
I love to listen to Spotify when I study, but the most useful app I have is called SimpleMind+, a mind map tool that helps me keep all of my ideas organized.

Three things people may not know about you.

• When I manage to find some free time I enjoy painting and playing piano and guitar.
• I was born in Latvia, and I’m a native Russian speaker.
• My undergrad degree is in British Literature and Russian Literature.