Amanda Aulicino ’10

International Studies | Andover Township, N.J.

Amanda Aulicino ’10 came to Susquehanna University with an interest in theater design, but a life-altering trip abroad with the Central America Service Adventure (SU CASA) program helped her decide that she is more interested in a career in medicine.

SU CASA, a nationally recognized service program created by the university, offers students the opportunity to help meet the needs of residents of impoverished communities.  Aulicino was drawn to the medical clinic work in Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

“We held medical clinics each day, and people would wait for hours to see us,” she recalls. “I was taking blood pressure, testing blood sugar and doing interviews.”  Aulicino was even authorized to give shots. “After the clinics, I could really see myself making medicine a life commitment.” 

Aulicino, now an international studies major with a biology minor, also credits Susquehanna’s curriculum with expanding her horizons because it requires students to take courses in a variety of disciplines. “Although a course of study may not appeal to you in high school, an experience at the collegiate level may prove positive for you,” she says. “You might even make a future out of it.”

Susquehanna’s faculty plays a large part in the self-discovery process, she adds.  “They are all devoted to seeing you succeed. The philosophy at Susquehanna is ‘your job doesn’t end when class ends.’” 

Aulicino uses her own out-of-class time to pursue even more opportunities for personal growth. A guitarist and singer, she is a member of the executive board of Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity, Sigma Omega Chapter, and has toured with the university choir.  She also directed a production of The Vagina Monologues, is a member of the Biology Club and works in the President’s Office.

“The first year at college is spent focusing on making choices,” she says.  “But as the years went on, I found that it’s still about making choices.”