Full Name: Christopher Pichay
Class Year: ’95
Title: Family Physician/DO, President/Co-Owner of Circle of Life Family Medicine
1. In one sentence, what does your job entail?
As being a family physician who co owns a private family practice with my wife who is also a physician, my job entails providing health care for patients of all ages while at the same time dealing with running a business.
2. How do you balance life and work?
I balance my personal life and work through the grace of God and with the support of my family. There is no other way!
3. What were you involved in when you were on campus?
While I was on campus I was involved with intramural sports (Basketball and volleyball), a martial arts club, SPUD, and ALANA
4. What was your major and how did it affect your career decisions?
I majored in biology and minored in visual arts. I had already made up my mind to become a physician before enrolling in undergrad studies and I believed biology would help with the pre med concentration and my application to medical school. Majoring in biology prepared me to teach biology and Anatomy & Physiology to high school students.
5. What planned and unplanned events connected you to your industry and your first employer after Holy Cross? How did you learn/decide it was a good fit for you?
Planned: getting into medical school and becoming a physician.
Unplanned: Having the opportunity to play D1 basketball, becoming a high school teacher upon graduation, marrying a fellow medical student and then going on to have 9 children with that spouse. It just goes to show that sometimes your initial plan is not the correct plan and that the plan you often end up with is the best case scenario! I have no regrets with how my life turned out and feel extremely blessed to be where I am today!
6. What are one or two skills that you developed at Holy Cross that you use in your work?
I found a renewed strength in my faith going to Holy Cross, a maturation in learning and how to apply what I’ve learned to real work experience, and I realized the importance of the reputation of excellence Holy Cross has established in the outside world and the lifelong camaraderie and networking advantage of being a Crusader!
