The role of recommendation letters in academic and professional contexts

Pharmacy Personal Statement

Over the course of my life, I have been confronted with many obstacles, yet one core passion has kept me focused: that of my desire to enter the medical profession as a pharmacist. I came to the United States when I was seventeen, relatively late to enter the U.S. school system, but I was still able to become a part of the Honors Program at the College of the Canyons as a pre-pharmacy major, with a focus in chemistry. I had already worked at my aunt's pharmacy, and seeing how the work of a pharmacist could make such a difference in people's daily lives cemented my decision to pursue the profession. While at College of the Canyons I was a participant in the EOPS (Educational Opportunity Programs and Services) and volunteered at the pharmacy of Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital in Valencia. The latter enabled me to continue to learn about the field from a hands-on perspective. I also volunteered for the Cancer Society and tutored calculus. As part of the honors program I submitted a research paper on the treatment of diabetes.

I then transferred to Saddleback College where I became a member of pharmacy club at IVC (Irvine Valley College) and worked at Bank of America to support my studies. However, after losing my brother in a car accident in 2005, I was forced to interrupt my education to help my parents through this difficult time. I attended several universities afterwards including University of California-Irvine (UCI), California State University-Fullerton (CSUF), followed by DeVry University and some online classes.

Finally, now that my family is stable once again and moving on from my brother's death, I feel that I am able to pursue my pharmacy degree with a clear mind and refocus myself and meet my goals. Going through a medical tragedy with my own family has underlined the need for caring and sensitive medical staff that can deal patients' emotions.

I am currently working at the Orange County Immune Institute and volunteer at the pharmacy within Garden Grove Hospital as well. Helping someone understand how they must take their medication, and instilling a sense of well-being and confidence in the people I see everyday as they take charge of their health and their loved one's heath underlines to me what I have always loved about the field of pharmacy. It is a field that requires in-depth technical and scientific knowledge, yet it also requires that the pharmacist is a 'people person' and understands the lifestyles of the persons taking the medication. Sometimes I must take more time to explain to an elderly person their dosage schedule or make clear to someone whose English is not strong the contraindicated foods and medications with the pills they are taking. I enjoy this, because it provides me with a human connection and a sense of efficacy. Being a great pharmacist is so much more than simply dispensing drugs.