Amanah Talabhaktula
Amanah Talabhaktula graduated from UC Davis in 2025 with her B.S. in Neurobiology, Physiology, & Behavior, and a minor in Professional Writing. Amanah is training to be a foot and ankle surgeon and is in her second year of the Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM) degree program at Samuel Merritt University College of Podiatric Medicine in Oakland, CA.
From Amanah, you’ll learn how to create a professional writing internship, how the Professional Writing minor helps STEM students, and how to find your community after college!
Why did you decide to be a Professional Writing Minor?
When I came to UC Davis, I knew I wanted to go into medicine, but I was not sure which specialty. I was looking at medical school applications and saw that you need a year of English or writing. I have always loved writing and wanted to fulfil those requirements with classes I was passionate about. I checked the UC Davis catalog and saw that the Professional Writing minor classes were teaching skills that were transferable to any type of career. I liked how many options there were, like writing for health professions (UWP 104F), writing for biology (UWP 102B), and even business writing (UWP 104A). When someone writes a paper or presents their research, it is important to communicate scientific information effectively. I knew being a strong writer would be helpful with my STEM classes and medical school applications, so I went for it! Those writing skills have made me a better communicator in graduate school and helped me with clinical skills because I can share complex information with patients in a clear way.
Did you create your own Professional Writing minor internship or apply for one?
I created my own internship with the work I was already doing at the BioInnovation Group Research Training Program, part of the BioInnovation Group club. I was a Student Lab Manager Co-lead, collaborating with others to help run a research training program. Along with my other co-lead, Danielle Sanchez, I led the Bioinnovation Group Skill Training program that trained around 700 people in one year. That experience inspired Danielle and me to assess the program’s effectiveness and write a research paper. Since I was already doing a long-term writing project, I thought it would be great to turn that into my internship.
Creating my internship was surprisingly easy. All I needed was a faculty supervisor, and I had to submit an internship academic credit approval form. To fulfil those requirements, I used connections from my lab to find my faculty supervisor and then got the form approved. My professional writing internship was great because I got to write a paper that I was passionate about and build a supportive community of mentors. Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Genomics Dr. Marc Facciotti and our BioInnovation Lab manager Andrew Yao helped me so much. The research paper will be done in a few months, and it will be my first co-publication!
Was there a specific project or experience in the Professional Writing Minor that impacted you?
I took Science Journalism (UWP 111C) with Katie Rodger, and it was my all-time favorite class. Usually in scientific writing, we are supposed to explain things from a research perspective. Professor Rodger taught us how to approach scientific writing from the perspective of a reader. She taught us how to share knowledge in clear and creative ways that audiences would be interested in. For writing assignments, I chose topics I was interested in, like health disparities, medication, and primary care. My favorite project was writing about the Knights Landing Clinic and the mental health program in the rural community. I’m from Salinas, California, so being able to write about a topic that impacts areas like my hometown meant a lot to me.
That class also inspired me to share stories about my journey to becoming a podiatrist. I made an Instagram account called @becomingdr.talabhaktula.dpm where I share my journey to my professional career. I use a lot of the same concepts from the journalism class to make posts that will interest my audience and share helpful information about podiatry, leadership, and advocacy.
How did you find your path to podiatric medicine?
Some things that helped me in undergrad were being open to new experiences, shadowing medical professionals, working at Knights Landing UC Davis Student-run Clinic, being at Klesis Christian Fellowship, my major classes, and classes from the Professional Writing minor. Originally, I heard about podiatry through a friend and decided to check it out. I was able to line up a shadowing opportunity in the summer, and it was one of the most interesting experiences I have ever had. Sorry if anyone is squeamish, but basically, I watched a doctor remove an infected toe and dead skin until there was only healthy tissue left. What was so cool about the experience was seeing the doctor in action and how she communicates with her patients. I saw what that career pathway could look like, and it led me to where I am now.
Currently, I go to Samuel Merritt University in Oakland, and I am at their College of Podiatric Medicine. I just finished my first year there, and it has been amazing! I have loved getting involved in the community. Recently, I represented my class nationally as our delegate at the American Podiatric Medical Student Association (APMSA). I also just accepted a position as a liaison for APMSA. I also want to give back to our community, so I am an incoming co-director for the Sacramento Community Clinics, and I play piano at VIVE Church in Oakland. These have been such great experiences, and I cannot wait for next year for my DPM degree program.
What advice do you have for current students?
Once you find your passion, work hard at it and embrace opportunities to grow. I liked writing, so I followed that, and it led me to the Professional Writing minor and all the amazing opportunities that came with it. It is also really important to ask for help and give back when you can. Once I was in my DPM degree program, I knew I wanted to do more community outreach and represent my class. I asked a lot of people for advice and found amazing mentors who helped me achieve my goals. It is great to receive mentorship, but it is equally important to mentor others. Doing that makes your community more welcoming for everyone. We are all working to make the world a better place and helping each other is a big part of that.
Also, it is okay to fail, but it is important to keep moving forward. Within research, your career, or even your personal life, things may not go as you hoped. Do not be afraid to try again but know that it is always ok to pivot if what you are working towards is not what you expected. For me, college and my DPM degree program were filled with ups and downs. Despite that, I kept working hard, and now I am doing so many cool things that I love. It is important to try your best every day because consistency and hard work pay off.