Amelia Keng, Web Editor–
Professional dancing and global health may seem vastly different, but for Amanda Fields ‘25, the transition was driven by her desire to help people improve their well-being.
“When I was dancing, I wanted there to be more emphasis on wellbeing, and I was waiting for that day, and it never came,” Fields said. “The shift into healthcare was out of frustration for the treatment of myself and fellow dancers.”
Although Fields decided to switch to global health, an aspect that she enjoyed the most about professional dancing was how routine-based it was.
“I loved the routine of balance,” Fields said. “Every morning you wake up and take a class, and the goal is to improve your technique.”
Despite the change in career paths, Fields still maintains a connection to the arts through her involvement in extracurricular activities at Denison. She is part of the Denison Independent Theater Association (DITA) and has choreographed multiple productions, including “Mamma Mia!” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
Fields is also part of the Ballet Club, where she teaches once a month.
“It’s nice to stay connected to the arts, even though I’ve moved into a different field,” Fields said.
For Fields, the impact of theater goes beyond the performances, as she emphasizes the connections she has made.
“My connection to theater is clearly still very important to me, and what I’ve enjoyed most about that is the people I’ve been able to meet and work with,” Fields said.
Fields believes that her background in dance has shaped her approach to global health because of how different the two are.
“What I enjoy about what I do now is that I get to build on that routine a little bit more,” Fields said. “Rather than working towards a show, I get to work towards performance indicators and goals.”
Fields was inspired to choose global health as a major to see how far her empathy could reach. As a global health major, she has learned how to better understand people around the world and let them be the experts in their perspective of wellness.
“What I like to say about global health is it’s the closest thing you can get to majoring in empathy,” Fields said.
This summer, Fields was selected to be a part of a prestigious global health internship program that had over 5,000 applicants.
“I was one of 68 people to be chosen to be a part of Edelman PR agency’s summer internship program, and I was in their corporate health division,” Fields said.
Currently, Fields works for a venture capital firm, where she works in its phase two processes. She is in charge of finding novel medical devices, sourcing them, and selling them to third parties.
“I’m interested in and have been trying to build a career around business and healthcare,” Fields said.
After graduation, Fields would like to continue pursuing her interest in global health in any direction that it takes her.
“I would love to either work for a healthcare hospital system, pharmaceutical company, or public health entity at the local level,” Fields said.
