Fall 2024 PharmD Student Spotlights

What are you involved in?

• UIH Inpatient Pharmacy Extern
• APhA-ASP Substance Use Disorder Chair
• SNPhA Remember the Ribbon / HIV Chair
• PDC brother

What is your goal academically and/or personally?

I hope to pursue clinical pharmacy and land a residency following graduation. My current interests are Emergency Medicine, Critical Care, and Infectious Diseases!

What is your favorite memory from pharmacy school?

There are many favorite memories that come to mind from these past few years but most of them have occurred outside the classroom with my best friends I’ve made here! A personal few faves have been drinks on taylor street, cubs games, and rollerblading the 606 🙂

Tell us more about yourself!

• I feel so lucky to be at this point in my life and that I get to pursue a graduate degree. I chose pharmacy as it is an intersection of science, research, and medicine. Pharmacy provides the balance of involvement in patient care with a work/life balance that I strive to achieve.
• I hope to make my family proud as I’m the first to pursue a career in healthcare!
• Outside of pharmacy school I enjoy rollerblading, thrifting, baking, growing my vegetable garden, and of course spending lots of time with my friends!

What are you involved in?

• CVS Pharmacy Intern
• Co-President of the Interdisciplinary Collaboration Club
• Student Ambassador Coordinator
• RPHARM Member
• Rho Chi Member

What is your goal academically and/or personally?
My goal is to become a neonatal pharmacist so I can help people that went through similar things as my cousin.

What is your favorite memory from pharmacy school?
My favorite memory from pharmacy school was going out to lunch with my fellow classmates after passing P2 year.

Tell us more about yourself!
I got into the field of pharmacy to combine my interests of healthcare, biochemistry, and helping people in need. I hope to make all my loved ones proud, especially those who have gone through medical conditions themselves.

What are you involved in?

• CVS Pharmacy Intern
• Pharmacy Student Council
• Kappa Psi Epsilon Rho Chapter
• Pride in Pharmacy Association
• Illinois Council of Health System Pharmacists
• American Pharmacist Association and Education Policy Committee

What is your goal academically and/or personally?
My ultimate goal is to get a residency, but I am still considering my career goals. I am leaning towards emergency room, oncology or Ambulatory care!

What is your favorite memory from pharmacy school?
I have so many fond memories, but some of the best ones come from when our class try to party outside of school, having lunches or celebrating together! We try to have some major hangout once a month just to try and destress, and those are the times that really make pharmacy school worthwhile!! 🙂

Tell us more about yourself!
I considered pharmacy school after a semi-significant career change. Pharmacy combines my love for pharmacology and drug action with my love for patient care. I hope to make not only my loved ones proud, but also make a name for myself. I am really passionate about patient rights, and to try and expand access of health care to marginalized groups, so if there is a chance to do that, I will always jump on it!

What are you involved in?
Work:
-Inpatient Pharmacy Technician at AdventHealth/UChicago
-Pharmacy Intern at Walgreens

Organizations:
-Rho Chi Vice President
-Phi Delta Chi Worthy Keeper of Finance
-Class Council President
-MoPhE Coordinator
-Peer Advisor

Research:
“Corticosteroid dosing in asthma exacerbation” with Dr. Thambi & Dr. Hanners

What is your goal academically and/or personally?
My goal academically is to pursue a residency and specialize in either pediatrics or in critical care. Both of these areas have garnered my interest during my time in pharmacy school and I feel I would enjoy either one as a career. My personal goals are to own a boat after pharmacy school, learn how to play the accordion, and maintain a good work-life balance.

What is your favorite memory from pharmacy school?
When one of the TA’s accidentally deleted a PHAR 504 quiz right before we were supposed to take it so we ended up taking it as a class. It’s the small victories in life! 🙂

Tell us more about yourself!
Growing up with an ill mother, I always knew that I wanted to do something in the medical field. I figured out quickly that medical school would take me way too long to get where I wanted to be so I chose pharmacy as my next best option. I want to give back to the community and field that helped my mother live as long as she did. I hope to make my sisters and the rest of my family proud when I become the first in our family to receive a professional doctorate degree. They are the reason that I put forth my best effort everyday and keep going even when it gets tough.

What are you involved in?

• Independent Pharmacy Intern
• Med Rec Tech at Edwards Hospital
• Kappa Psi Professional Relations Chair
• APhA-ASP VP of Communications
• ACCP Student Liaison

What is your goal academically and/or personally?
One of my most biggest goals for the future is to use P4 APPEs as a way to figure out what I want to do in the future. I definitely know I want to do a residency but I really want to take the time to explore both inpatient and ambulatory care and figure out which one I like better. My biggest goal this year is to make sure that I take advantage of all the experiences that I can such as research and IPPEs to prepare me for APPEs and applying for residency. One of my personal goals currently is to take more time to do the things I love and just relax more.

What is your favorite memory from pharmacy school?
My favorite memory from pharmacy school so far is performing at the cultural show during my P1 and P2 year. It was so much fun practicing with my friends and getting to show everyone our culture.

Tell us more about yourself!
Pharmacy is important to me because I really admire how much of a difference pharmacists and techs can make in a patient’s life. I love being able to get to know patients and being able to make small differences in their life whether it be counseling them or making sure they get their meds on time and stay adherent. When I chose pharmacy I wasn’t sure if it would be something I would enjoy but I now have a true passion for pharmacy and I can’t see myself doing anything else.

What are you involved in?

• Rho Chi Member
  Phi Lambda Sigma Co-President
  Pride in Pharmacy Association Co-President
  Peer Tutor Coordinator
  Student Technology Assistant for IT

What is your goal academically and/or personally?
My goal is to finish pharmacy school being proud of what I accomplished. I am my biggest critic, so I want to be confident in the work I have put in, and go into the next chapter ready to keep learning.

What is your favorite memory from pharmacy school?
My favorite memory from pharmacy school so far has been building a community with my classmates, both in Rockford and Chicago. The struggles of pharmacy school can be difficult to express to our family and friends outside of the program. I am thankful for the opportunities I have had to form new relationships and professional connections that I can take with me throughout my career.

Tell us more about yourself!
The field of pharmacy entered my life at a time when I was unsure what I would do following graduation. I had great mentors in my community pharmacy, where I was working as a technician part time, that pushed me to explore the field. Exploring the field of pharmacy, I realized it is the perfect mesh between chemistry and medicine. I am planning to pursue a residency following graduation, with a focus either in oncology or infectious disease.

I moved to Rockford in 2022 for school with my partner, Alex, and our dog, Yoda. We are both from Minnesota, so it was a big move. I hope to make her, and our families proud, serving in the medical field and adding my contribution to healthcare through the entirety of my career. Alex has made several sacrifices moving with me to school, so I hope to help her live out more of her dreams post-graduation.

What are you involved in?

• UI Health Extern Student Leader (cleanroom🧼)
• IDOC Telemedicine Clinical Research Assistant
• ICHP Health Systems Chair
• Rho Chi Historian
• PDC Member

What is your goal academically and/or personally?

A goal for myself this upcoming year is to find more ways to be involved in academia as I hope to one day teach and/or precept with a pharmacy school.

What is your favorite memory from pharmacy school?

Any Ceutics lab during P2 spring semester! We were saving lives one lotion at a time.

Tell us more about yourself!

• I chose pharmacy because it allows me to turn my passion for chemistry into a meaningful career, helping others through safe medication use.
• My mom will be retiring as a pharmacist soon after I enter the field, and I hope to make her proud by continuing the pharmacist tradition in our family.
• Music is another passion of mine that has helped me get through pharmacy school so I hope to start performing more regularly again once school is over!

What are you involved in?

This year I’m involved with Phi Delta Chi and Rho Chi. In PDC I’m the Master of arms. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at events. I’m also the treasurer of Rho Chi, part of my role includes being involved in PEP reviews, as well as managing the organization’s funds. I  plan on doing research with a few classmates this semester under Dr. Thambi and Dr. Hanners as well.

What is your goal academically and/or personally?

My goal academically is to make it to a residency. I’m still undecided on what I’d like to go into exactly but time will tell. Other goals I have include living close to where I work, owning farm animals with enough land for them, and traveling the world.

What is your favorite memory from pharmacy school?

My favorite memories from pharmacy school are going to hawkeyes with everyone after exams or just because after class. Another memory that will always be vivid in my mind is Pie a Phi. It certainly is something else to see your professors, friends, and the dean getting a pie thrown in their face.

Tell us more about yourself!

A driving reason behind my choice to join pharmacy school was to become capable of helping others help themselves. Pharmacy is important to me because it will provide me with the tools to do just that. Just in my time as a student I’ve had the pleasure of explaining my friend’s and family member’s health concerns to them in a way that leaves them with a deeper understanding of what’s going on. In doing this, I believe that they are more likely to better manage their health and be able to seek out care more effectively. This is something I hope to be able to do in the future with my patients, friends, and family, wherever I end up.

What are you involved in?

• Community Drug Education Committee (CDEC) President
• Rho Chi Honor Society
• Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity
• UI Health Ambulatory Extern at SCB Pharmacy
• IDOC Telemedicine Clinical Research Assistant

What is your goal academically and/or personally?

Academically, I hope to grow clinically and professionally and take what I learn from classes and apply it to real-world experiences both during rotations and at work. As a P3, I want to grow my clinical skills and prepare myself for future upcoming APPE rotations. Personally, during my P3 year I want to make more of an effort to create a school/personal life balance. I want to make time to do the things that bring me joy outside of school, such as reading fiction books, running, playing pickleball, and of course making time for friends both from and outside of pharmacy school!

What is your favorite memory from pharmacy school?

My favorite pharmacy school memory is the first day of P2 year. After our classes, my pharmacy school friends and I went to the Jonas Brothers concert at Wrigley Field. This was a great way to kick off the year together and the concert was super nostalgic!

Tell us more about yourself!

• I decided to pursue pharmacy because I have always loved chemistry classes/content, but I knew I wanted to work in the healthcare field. I thought pharmacy would be a great field to overlap my interests. In the future, I hope to work as a clinical pharmacist in a critical care setting, but I am using my time in pharmacy school to stay open-minded and see what field I can see myself in!
• Outside of pharmacy school, I love to be active. I enjoy doing intramural sports with my friends, such as beach volleyball! One of my new favorite hobbies is playing pickleball! I also love to read in my free time and enjoy doing DIY crafts. I also consider myself a HUGE “Swiftie” and my favorite album is Folklore!

What are you involved in?

• Work: UI Health Ambulatory Care Extern
• Rho Chi: President
• PAPA: Events Outreach Coordinator
• PDC: Member

What is your goal academically and/or personally?

My goal is to take what we learn in class and apply it effectively at work, through various rotations, and eventually in practice. This year, I want to reflect on what I value in a career and focus on identifying the specialty I’d like to pursue. I’m considering a clinical residency after graduation and am particularly interested in renal, cardiology, or psychiatry. On a personal note, I started running this summer and hope to keep it up throughout the school year.

What is your favorite memory from pharmacy school?

Org Day P1 Year – It was slightly overwhelming, but it’s where I met some of my best friends that are my go to karaoke partners now! 🥳

Tell us more about yourself!

I decided to pursue pharmacy after working in community pharmacy for a few years and recognizing the important role pharmacists play in making healthcare accessible. Having witnessed my grandparents struggle with health issues and language barriers that complicated their care, I am motivated to make a meaningful difference in this area. As a first-generation student, I want to make my family proud and contribute positively to the field.

When I’m not studying, I love to go on walks, travel, and explore different areas of Chicago! Although school and work limit the extent of my adventures, I hope that after graduation, my sister and I can finally go on the backpacking trip we’ve been planning for years!

What are you involved in?

• UI Health Inpatient Extern and Satellite Student Leader
• APhA-ASP Vice President of Patient Care
• Rho Chi Secretary
• PDC Worthy Prelate
• Community service including Boxville Vitals, Guest House, and naloxone training and distribution

What is your goal academically and/or personally?

My current personal goal is to become more involved in research this year, and my career goal is to do residency after graduating in hopes of becoming an inpatient clinical pharmacist specialist.

What is your favorite memory from pharmacy school?

I have too many good memories from pharmacy school, but the little things like eating taco dip in the lobby and going to the Cubs UIC night with my pharmily are my favorite!

Tell us more about yourself!

• I chose pharmacy because I always knew I wanted to work in healthcare and when I learned about the role a pharmacist has in the hospital setting I could envision myself as that, being the medication expert of the healthcare team. I also liked how there are many different possible career paths for pharmacists and that we will be lifelong learners! Pharmacy is constantly evolving which excites me and I appreciate how every day brings a new challenge or experience.
• My why is my family! I will be the first healthcare professional in the family and always want to make them proud.

What are you involved in?

• RUSH Outpatient Pharmacy Technician
• OSCO Pharmacy Technician
• President of PAPA
• Vice President of PLS
• OTC Medication Safety Chair of APhA
• Social Chair of PDC
• Peer Advisor Coordinator

What is your goal academically and/or personally?
My goal professionally is to complete a residency, currently I am most interested in toxicology and cardiology. As an avid reader, a personal goal of mine would be to write a book one day.

What is your favorite memory from pharmacy school?
My favorite memory from pharmacy school is the Cultural Show. It is incredible to see the organizations come together and to celebrate different cultures on campus.

Tell us more about yourself!
I have been around pharmacy my whole life and have always been drawn to the profession. I remember helping my great-grandmother fill her pill box each week and discussing her medications with her. In these moments, I knew pharmacy would combine my love for science and my passion for serving others. I hope my family is proud of me, specifically my mom, because she has been my mentor both within pharmacy and outside of the field.