Keysha Ray
College of Pharmacy,
Class of 2014

My Inspiration: There wasn't one defining moment where I suddenly realized I wanted to be a pharmacist, it was a gradual process. The pharmacy field encompasses everything I want in a profession: direct patient interaction, opportunities for continual professional growth and advancement, and a flexible work schedule.
My Passion: I am most passionate about the area of patient interaction; particularly the fact that each day gives you the direct opportunity to make a positive impact on a patient's life.
My Future: I consider community pharmacists the heart of the profession, and I am definitely drawn to that role, however, I also believe that practicing clinical pharmacists have very enjoyable and satisfying positions. At this point I have a few years before I have to commit to one path.

Shundraneka "Neka" Thaxter

My Inspiration: I was inspired to become a pharmacist after developing an allergy to the sun in high school that required a lot of my every day needs such as soap, lotion, shampoo to be compounded. I shadowed my hometown compounding pharmacist to see how different medications could be made in a specialty pharmacy. This shadowing experience led me to deciding that a career in Pharmacy would be my aspiration.
My Passion: I am passionate about pharmacy patient interaction because I love to help others and give back. I currently work at Walgreen's, and every day I build a relationship with the patients who come in to get their prescriptions filled or have questions about OTC medications. A smile and dedication to help these patients in any way, even making just small differences, has encouraged me to want to work one on one with patients daily as a pharmacist.
My Future: My ideal future in pharmacy would be a clinical pharmacist specializing in hypertension and diabetes patients. I would also like to be a compounding pharmacist and hope to open my own pharmacy within the next 20 years.

Marisa Adria Campbell
College of Pharmacy,
Class of 2013

My Inspiration: After advice from several family members who are successful pharmacists I decided to pursue a similar career. In addition, I have seen the effects of medicine on several family members with chronic diseases and realized that pharmacy is a growing field.
My Passion: After participating in pharmacy shadowing programs sponsored by UT, I was elated to discover fields of pharmacy beyond stores such as Walgreens. I visited pharmacists working in fields of oncology, compounding, and emergency care. I am passionate about all fields of pharmacy because each involves using scientific knowledge to care for patients.
My Future: Because I enjoy interaction with other people, retail pharmacy is most appealing to me right now. Furthermore, this is where I have gained the majority of my experience. Being a retail pharmacist will allow me to beneficially apply my scientific knowledge about drug therapy as well as clinically interact with patients.

Anthony R. McCarty, Jr.
College of Pharmacy,
Class of 2014

My Inspiration: I've desired to become a health care professional since the summer after my freshman year at Alcorn State University. I participated in a series of internships at the University of Toledo where I was fortunate enough to assist a pharmacist with his research. Working with him that summer opened my eyes to the possibilities of becoming a pharmacist.
My Passion: Even though my experiences were mostly centered on research, I also have developed a passion for interacting with patients through my IPPE experiences. I like the feeling you get after knowing you have helped someone and quite possibly made a positive difference in their lives, whether it is giving flu shots or helping someone find the NyQuil on the shelf.
My Future: Ideally, for me, I would love to be able to participate in both research and retail pharmacy. If I was forced to choose; however, research pharmacy would still be my first choice at this moment. However, I plan to pursue numerous experiences within the field before I make a final decision.

Tonya L. Phelps
College of Pharmacy,
Class of 2013

My Inspiration: At the age of five, I was diagnosed with chronic bronchitis, asthma, and several allergies. These maladies caused me to be constantly ill, but in the process, I developed an incomparable interest in the discipline of pharmacy.
My Passion: Patient interactions are very influential in the Health Care field. I feel that counseling is a very important role of the pharmacist and I look forward to utilizing it in my practice.
My Future: I would like to pursue a career in Clinical Pharmacy. Although I have not decided on which area I would like to specialize, I do know that I have an interest in pediatrics. This interest comes from my own suffering from childhood illnesses. I would like to spend time in one of the local pediatric hospitals and explore pediatric field.

MINORITY CENTER OF EXCELLENCE (MCOE)

The College of Pharmacy has made a commitment to this special initiative in the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority (URM) students and faculty. The College has received two previous COE awards in 1992-1994 and 2003-2007 and from those efforts has made a transformation to one of the leading colleges with regards to recruitment and graduation of URM students as well as the development of URM faculty through its postdoctoral graduate, fellowship, and residency programs. The College boasts 22.8% URM student body which includes 16.1% African-American students.

The College has also been able to recruit and retain URM faculty as well as producing strong candidates to hire from our student body. The proposed Minority COE offers an opportunity to further improve our ability to develop a larger and more competitive URM applicant pool, increase retention and graduation rates of URM students, improve the recruitment, training, and development of URM faculty, improve all pharmacy graduates understanding of cultural diversity and minority health issues, increase research with URM patient populations, and increase clinical training opportunities for students in the provision of health services to URM patients.