Many years ago, my mother experienced a near-fatal car accident. After losing significant blood due to her Von Willebrand disorder (a type of hemophilia), she fell unconscious — fortunately, a pharmacist administered recombinant factor VIII, which reduced her bleeding. The following day, I saw her laughing with joy. Without the pharmacist's efforts in synthesizing recombinant factor VIII, my mother would have died. This experience taught me how impactful pharmacy can be in improving human quality of life and led me to my long-term professional goal: becoming a pharmacist. I pursued pharmacy as my field of interest because I believe that my purpose, place, and voice in life is to support my community and impact others by accomplishing my goal of being a pharmacist. I have participated in numerous leadership experiences and community service events while working directly with the community and other healthcare professionals as a pharmacy student and intern to follow in the footsteps of many pharmacists to serve my community of students and underserved patients. I grew up in a small town called Kuttawa, in rural western Kentucky. I witnessed firsthand the challenges we faced in accessing healthcare services. We traveled long distances to reach the closest pharmacy or healthcare facility. In fact, for major health issues, we had to travel to Nashville, Tennessee which was over one hour and a half drive. As I matured, I became more aware of pharmacists' important role in patient care and community services. This realization was an eye-opener because I saw an opportunity to help fill the healthcare gap in rural and medically underserved communities. I am excited to be enrolled in the pharmacy program and pursuing my career dream which will help me contribute to the well-being of underserved populations. For example, working as a Pharmacy Technician at Walgreens was the first experience that helped me achieve my goal of becoming a pharmacist. I enjoy filling out patient prescriptions, speaking to patients, and providing their medications. In addition, I had opportunities to expand my pharmacy experiences. For instance, I took the initiative to apply for immunization training to help the pharmacist manager administer vaccines before the flu season since most of my coworkers, who had worked longer, were not certified in vaccine administration. With the help of my supervisor and pharmacy manager, I passed the immunization exam and became certified. I feel grateful to complete a crucial step to becoming a pharmacist and helping rural communities access various services.

The book I recommend to everyone is "In Order to Live", by Yeonmi Park. It is the autobiography of the North Korean escapee, Yeonmi Park, who shares her powerful story and life in North Korea as a poor and dependent child and her struggle to adapt to the outside world after escaping with her family. Yeonmi had a lot of ups and downs in her old life in North Korea, but due to the harsh and strict environment imposed by her cruel government, she and her family escaped to find a better life outside that was not what the North Korean regime educated her. She and her family try to mitigate the new environment, hoping for a prosperous and safe future. She faced hardships as she grew up in the new world in order to live. Yeonmi took big steps and risks to make her quality of life and well-being better and brighter. In my perspective, she is a hero and a warrior. "In Order to Live" is a must-read because it is a story of hope and resilience, which I can relate to when I could not find my voice, purpose, and place as I transitioned from high school to college. I feared the worst as I adjusted to the new college life, with a minimal income, a long recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and the constant worry of not meeting society's expectations. However, with the help of my new friends and faculty at my college, I finally found my purpose and place in my college and smiled again. For students and adults who struggle due to socio-economic factors and are challenged by society's expectations, Yeonmi Park's memoir is the book for them. It inspires them to hope for the best and brightest future during the darkest and most vulnerable moments in their lives. Yeonmi's story taught me that a person's life is a battlefield, and one must stay optimistic to achieve a brighter future.

My journey towards a pharmacy career and desire to serve in rural or medically underserved areas has been influenced by several key life experiences. These experiences have ingrained in me a profound sense of desire and commitment to serve communities that often lack access to quality healthcare through the challenges I faced. I grew up in a small town called Kuttawa, in rural western Kentucky. I witnessed firsthand the challenges we faced in accessing healthcare services. We traveled long distances to reach the closest pharmacy or healthcare facility. In fact, for major health issues, we had to travel to Nashville, Tennessee which was over one hour and a half drive. This shortage of accessibility to healthcare professionals caused many people in Kuttawa to sometimes be without needed medications or proper medical advice, leading to health complications and unnecessary suffering. As I matured, I became more aware of pharmacists' important role in patient care and community services. This realization was an eye-opener because I saw an opportunity to help fill the healthcare gap in rural and medically underserved communities. I am excited to be enrolled in the pharmacy program and pursuing my career dream which will help me contribute to the well-being of underserved populations. For example, working as a Pharmacy Technician at Walgreens was the first experience that helped me achieve my goal of becoming a pharmacist. I enjoy filling out patient prescriptions, speaking to patients, and providing their medications. In addition, I had opportunities to expand my pharmacy experiences. For instance, I took the initiative to apply for immunization training to help the pharmacist manager administer vaccines before the flu season since most of my coworkers, who had worked longer, were not certified in vaccine administration. With the help of my supervisor and pharmacy manager, I passed the immunization exam and became certified. I feel grateful to complete a crucial step to becoming a pharmacist and helping rural communities access various services. I volunteered at Variety, a Children's Charity in St. Louis. I got to help special-needs kids gain a life-long fun and entertaining experience. I met a child who used a wheelchair and dreamed of becoming a wrestler and police officer. Unfortunately, his disability meant they rarely had an opportunity to visit and enjoy the wonders he hoped to see. I was able to give that opportunity to him by taking him to parks, zoos, centers relating to nature and scientific studies, and movies. I was astonished to see his smile grow into one of the biggest I have ever seen. My kindness and service to the young boy allowed me to experience a similar feeling a pharmacist feels when they improve patients' quality of life: gratification. Bringing joy and warm memories made me feel more connected to the rural communities and the challenges of getting decent healthcare services. It drove my commitment to making a difference in underserved populations. It is part of my personal values and beliefs that healthcare is a fundamental human right regardless of economic or geographic location. This strong conviction and my personal experiences have fueled my determination to serve those in need, particularly in rural areas where healthcare disparities are most pronounced and overlooked by the healthcare system. I aspire to contribute to the well-being of underserved populations, ensuring that they receive the care and support they deserve.

My name is Aymen Hadji, and I am a pharmacy student at the St. Louis College of Pharmacy (STLCOP) pursuing pharmacy as a healthcare field to serve my community. I am a pharmacy intern at Walgreens helping patients with medication adherence, dispensing, and counseling patients on medication use and treatment options under the supervision of my respected pharmacist. I am also the former president of the Pre-Pharmacy Club, introducing undergraduates at my college to pharmacy via meetings, job opportunity sessions, student and alumni panels, and activities. I am a research assistant at the Center of Clinical Pharmacology at STLCOP, discovering the connections between chemistry and pharmacy to identify and create the basic components of medicine. When I heard about Christina Singh's story, I wanted to do my part to help the people around me. I pursued a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree because I believe that my purpose, place, and voice in life is to support my community and impact others by accomplishing my goal to be a pharmacist. I have participated in numerous leadership experiences and events while working directly with the community as a pharmacy student and intern to follow in the footsteps of Christina to serve my community of students and patients. For example, I volunteered at Variety, a Children's Charity in St. Louis. I got to help special-needs kids gain a life-long fun and entertaining experience. I met a child who used a wheelchair and dreamed of becoming a wrestler and police officer. Unfortunately, his disability meant they rarely had an opportunity to visit and enjoy the wonders he hoped to see. I was able to give that opportunity to him by taking him to parks, zoos, centers relating to nature and scientific studies, and movies. I was astonished to see his smile grow into one of the biggest I have ever seen. My kindness and service to the young boy allowed me to experience a similar feeling a pharmacist feels when they improve patients' quality of life: gratification. I felt happy and exhilarated by watching their big and joyous smiles as they enjoyed their fun activities. Also, I helped around at STLCOP in their events, such as the Alumni Reunion. I offered and gave tours around the college campus, and they were amazed by the changes made 30-40 years ago. I checked them in and prepped the event with the hosts. The alumni shared the stories of their sacred student life at the college and gave their words of encouragement to pharmacy students. One of the alumni spoke to me with the words I kept in memory, "Move forward and continue making big for yourself and the people around you. Life can be like a ride on a bicycle. It won't hurt to make a few stops at a time." In my point of view, it is okay to take a moment and help a person in need of service when you are mid-way in your journey. They need a little push for them to keep going. These experiences shaped my dream of being a pharmacist to provide the best service and care. They only need a little push to continue their life and grow in society. I chose pharmacy as my option in healthcare because as I grew up and continued to support and help those in need, I was greatly inspired by the STLCOP alumni's kindness and motivation and the boy's happiness and eagerness to continue serving and helping my community. I am eager to do my part in this big and diverse world to fulfill Christina's legacy.