The Class of 2024 is on its way to the next chapter.
The College of Pharmacy awarded 98 doctor of pharmacy degrees and one doctor of pharmaceutical sciences degree during hooding and commencement exercises in early May.
During the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony, graduates heard from several speakers including Dean Stephen J. Cutler, Outstanding Alumni Award recipients Kyle and Pamela McHugh, and Class Speaker Nikki Chen.
Cutler reminded the graduates that to receive their hood is the crowning achievement of the work each has put in to earning their pharmacy degree.
“You are ready to have a transformative impact on the patients that you will serve, and you will forever be members of the Gamecock pharmacy family,” he says.
The majority of graduates will pursue careers in postgraduate training and community pharmacy. Others will seek careers in industry, association management, nuclear pharmacy, and compounding across 19 states and Washington, D.C., while 41% plan to continue their careers in South Carolina, thus helping to increase access to health care at home.
As you journey into your new phase of life as pharmacists, don’t forget where you came from. Serve in whatever capacity you can ...
The McHughs explored the many ‘plot twists’ that they encountered during their careers as they progressed from pharmacists-in-charge at their respective pharmacies to now owners of numerous pharmacies across the state by sharing their core values for success.
“As you journey into your new phase of life as pharmacists, don’t forget where you came from. Serve in whatever capacity you can,” Pame McHugh advises. “We all need to take care of our patients, but it can also be through mentoring students, donating time to the college, or starting a scholarship fund. Find a way to serve and you will never regret it.”
Pharmacy school has also taught us that sometimes you have to take a leap of faith. We should embrace life with a sense of adventure, curiosity and ambition ...
Chen reminisced that the first time the Class of 2024 gathered together was for a different kind of White Coat Ceremony during the pandemic, as masks and spacing were required.
“It truly felt like a bad omen for what [COVID-19] would bring unto us, but from that moment the white coat walked us into the world of health care, and I knew we would be OK,” she recalls.
“Starting a doctorate degree at the height of the pandemic really means we’re bonded together forever. Through it all we persevered and today we have so many accomplishments,” she adds. “Pharmacy school has also taught us that sometimes you have to take a leap of faith. We should embrace life with a sense of adventure, curiosity and ambition.”
Topics: Pharm.D. Program, Graduate Programs, Student Experience, Alumni