“You are creating the next generation of pharmacists… the ones who will take care of us in the future,” said Dean Vassilios Papadopoulos as he welcomed guests to USC Mann’s Annual Scholarship Breakfast on Thursday, February 8. The event enables students to meet and thank the benefactors who help make their paths to pharmacy careers possible.
Dean Papadopoulos reported that 140 donors funded scholarships in 2017-18. While not all could attend, the Health Sciences Campus Pappas Quad still brimmed with donors, alumni and appreciative students.
Along with sharing her gratitude, third-year student Marina Boulos explained how pharmacy — and USC — became so important to her life. “It was my uncle who originally sparked my love for pharmacy,” she recalled. “His genuine care for my father as he battled cancer made a lasting impact in my life. His job was more than just a job; it was a healing presence,” Boulos said. “I wanted to be the very same person, a healing presence for others.”
Boulos shared some challenges she faced on her path to USC and thanked donors for supporting her along the way, saying she is fortunate to be part of a school that “can equip me to the best pharmacist I can be.”
First-year student Jeremy Dow, who moved from the East Coast, described his love for the university and his evolving passion for service. For Dow, whose interest in pharmacy was sparked while working in community pharmacies and as an educator at Teach for America, the motivation to attend USC came from an “intentional dedication to serving the Los Angeles community and refusal to accept the status quo within the profession.” He thanked donors for helping him make the connection between his time as an educator and future career as a pharmacist.
Ariel Tsang, a second-year student, took the opportunity to thank donors who made it possible for her and her colleagues to attend USC Mann. “Some of the most endearing moments I have experienced are when patients remember your name and are so grateful for the access to basic health care that they previously [missed] because of a language barrier,” she added, describing how she often explains insurance policies and counsels patients on medications in Spanish, Cantonese, and basic Mandarin.
Scholarship support is essential to perpetuating the high standards of pharmacy education USC upholds. If you would like to know more about supporting a scholarship at USC Mann, click here.
https://uscschoolofpharmacy.smugmug.com/2018-USC-School-of-Pharmacy-Scholarship-Breakfast