The Courage to Continue
How a series of set backs ultimately propelled Tanner Lowe forward
“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."
– Winston Churchill
Tanner Lowe’s path to his PharmD degree was not a direct one. Even his mother will tell you that.
“Tanner took the long way to get his degree,” admits Jen Lowe. “To watch him graduate with a doctorate was a big deal.
It was a big deal for many reasons: the difficulty of the degree, the job opportunities, and the prospect of giving back to your community through your job. Those are big for any PharmD recipient. But those weren’t the reasons the degree was important to Jen. At least, they weren’t the only reasons it was a big deal. When Tanner was twelve years old, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
“It was the size of a tangerine,” Jen added cautiously, “and we weren't sure how he would be after the removal, if there would be impairments.”
During his recovery at Lurie’s Children’s Hospital, Tanner was under the near constant supervision of a team of doctors, nurses, and specialists. But one made a bigger impact than the rest.
“A pharmacist came by and answered our questions about my medications,” Tanner said.
The pharmacist’s demeanor impressed young Tanner.
“The pharmacist was really kind and took the time to explain things in a way even I could understand as a 12-year-old,” Tanner said. “That interaction is the thing that has stuck with me the most.”
That relationship, under the most stressful of circumstances, inspired a love of pharmacy.
" I was fascinated by pharmacy and eager to learn more about the profession.”
In 2015, the UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy launched the High School Pharmacy Camp (HSPC) aimed squarely at energetic, motivated high school students like Tanner. The website describes it as “a half-day, introductory experience designed to expose high school students to the field of pharmacy” and entices students with talk of the “over 80 career paths in the field.” Tanner and Jen participated in the 2016 HSPC.
“We were researching schools back then,” Jen said. “I think we saw [HSPC ads] on your website or Facebook page.”
“I learned far more than I ever expected from HSPC,” Tanner said, “and looking back, I am incredibly grateful that I attended.”
The camp combines lectures and workshops with hands-on activities in the compounding lab. The compounding lab is traditionally used for mixing chemicals; however, the students’ use of it is a bit more pedestrian: keepsakes.
“One of my clearest memories was…being able to take home products we created ourselves, like lip balm. It was so rewarding to use something I had personally made and understand the science behind it.”
And that is the point. According to Rockford Vice Dean Kevin Rynn, “Tanner’s experience with our pathway programs is a perfect example of our goal: to cultivate students’ interest in pharmacy.”
And the cultivation is still going strong. Over 400 students have been through the HSPC program since 2015. Another 400 have been through its sister program, the Summer Pharmacy Institute (SPI). Even though Tanner is one of the HSPC success stories, he didn’t initially come to UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy.
“Tanner originally went to Saint Louis College of Pharmacy on a soccer scholarship,” Jen noted.
But soon after, he was injured, and his college career paused while Tanner once again recovered. Jen encouraged Tanner to earn his associate’s degree from Kishwaukee College in DeKalb, which led him to enroll at Northern Illinois University to pursue a bachelor’s degree.
“At this point, he was becoming a career student,” Jen worried. “But one day he wanted to try pharmacy again.”
“I chose UIC for several reasons,” Tanner noted, “one of the biggest being the Rockford campus and its proximity to home.”
Tanner was living back home in Sycamore, Illinois, at the time, a mere 30 minutes from Rockford. That proximity worked well for Jen, too.
“[The UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy] was so close, it worked out perfectly.”
And the academics were a better fit for Tanner as well.
“I appreciated the smaller class sizes and the strong sense of community within the program,” Tanner enthused. “From the very beginning, I noticed how supportive and welcoming everyone was.”
Jen noticed the supportive community, too. She attributes a lot of Tanner’s success to one person.
“Tanner has felt very supported through his whole program,” Jen beamed. “Dean Rynn rolls off his tongue a lot. Dean Rynn has been a major contributor to Tanner's success.”
For his part, Dean Rynn is more hesitant to take credit for Tanner’s success. But he is still thrilled with what Tanner has accomplished in his time at UIC.
“As Tanner’s advisor through our PhLAMES program, I could not be prouder of his accomplishments,” Rynn said.
And that appreciation is shared by Tanner.
“The UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy played a major role in preparing me for my future career,” Tanner said. “I truly could not have chosen a better program. I learned far more than I ever expected from HSPC, and looking back, I am incredibly grateful that I attended.”