Annika Hesse arrived on the 40 Acres with a mission—to find a way to explore her dual interests in business and healthcare. As a high school senior, Annika decided to study in the Canfield Business Honors Program because of its flexible degree plan that would allow her to gain a comprehensive business education while also learning about other fields of interest. Now in her first year at Canfield BHP, Annika is taking a mix of business classes like MAN 101H: Leadership Challenges and Innovations and STEM classes like CH 301: Principles of Chemistry I.
As part of the Canfield BHP community, Annika receives personalized advising attention from the program’s academic advisors, who can help her map out her four-year degree plan. (Stop by the Canfield BHP office, and there is a good chance you will find Annika at the peer advisor desk or completing her homework!) At the same time, Annika has had the opportunity to join Alpha Epsilon Delta, a pre-health honor society where she has met other students passionate about healthcare.
Outside of the classroom, Annika is exploring her dual passions by working with other Canfield BHP students to restart a student organization. “When I first got to UT, I began looking for an organization that combined my interests in both business and healthcare,”
Annika and her Canfield BHP peers decided to restart the Texas Business Healthcare Association (TXBHA), an organization “focused on filling in the gap between business and healthcare by exposing students to the financial, managerial, legal, and consulting aspects of the healthcare industry.”
TXBHA had become inactive during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Annika and her Canfield BHP peers were motivated to create a unique space where like-minded students could engage in career development: “We believe hearing about real-world experiences from industry professionals not only opens our members up to possible careers at the intersection of business and healthcare but also empowers them to pursue a relatively niche passion.”
Going forward, Annika has ambitious plans to incorporate community service opportunities and socials into TXBHA as well as develop a curriculum to teach members about the unique financial and managerial challenges within the healthcare industry.
As for Annika’s individual goals, she hopes to become a business-minded physician who can tackle broad issues within the healthcare industry. Additionally, she advises prospective Canfield BHP students with dual interests—whether in healthcare, computer science, or any other field—to get in touch with like-minded upperclassmen to learn more about the vast opportunities available on the 40 Acres.