Joe Gilroy "Plan Your Work, Work Your Plan" Scholarship

My guidance counselor gave me a packet of summer programs for the summer of 2021. I had two requirements for a summer program. I wanted to stay in-person on a college campus, and I wanted the program to be about the medical field. Many of the programs were either virtual or canceled, which helped me narrow down which one I wanted to go to. I found a program at the University of Findlay about pharmacy, which I attended. The camp introduced me to the pharmacy field, which I hadn’t known much about beforehand. I learned about what pharmacists do and what education they receive. I enjoyed the session about hospital pharmacy, where I learned about what pharmacists do in a hospital setting. After the camp, I was seriously considering studying pharmacy in college and having a career in the pharmacy field, so I began doing research about the pharmacy field. I went to a talk by a pharmacy student to learn about their experiences. I went on video calls to learn about pharmacy programs. I learned about the 0+6 pharmacy program, which is offered by the University of Findlay. This program lasts six years and condenses the traditional four years of undergraduate studies and the four years of pharmacy school into six years, which is why I applied there. I liked that it was shorter than the traditional 8-year path, meaning that I could start my career sooner. I also do not have to reapply to pharmacy school during my academic career. I am currently in my second year of this program. According to my latest financial reports from my college, my estimated college costs for this year are $55,320 for the 2024-25 school year. I have $27,500 in grants and scholarships this year. Of those, I have an annual $21,000 scholarship that I should get for the next three years. My calculations assume tuition will remain constant for the next 5 years. I know it will not, but this is a rough estimate for the purpose of forming a budget. I need a total of $276,600 to earn my PharmD degree in the next five years. It is $249,100 when you subtract my financial aid for this year. I will also get $21,000 for my junior year and my senior year, meaning I still need to find $207,100. I have about $70,000 in my college fund, leaving $137,100 unaccounted for. My parents will also pay $10,000 each year for the next 5 years, for a total of $50,000. This means I will need to earn $87,100 through scholarships, financial aid, and working a part-time job to avoid taking out student loans. My goal is to graduate with my PharmD in 2029 and specialize in nuclear pharmacy. This will require extensive training, which could take a long time. It involves getting 4000 hours of practice in a nuclear pharmacy and taking classes relating to safety. If a typical work week is 40 hours, that would mean 100 weeks, or roughly equivalent to two years of experience. In order to do this, I will obviously need scholarships, but I will also need immaterial things, such as experience in the pharmacy field, experience with activities outside the pharmacy field to develop soft skills, networking skills, and the support and guidance of my family, friends and mentors. I believe that if I follow my plans, I can achieve my goals.