White Coat: ✓ Secured
New Student Orientation Block Party: ✓ Had a blast
Favorite Study Spot: ✓ Scoped out
And just like that we’re over halfway through the fall semester.
This month we caught up with P1 Pharm.D. students Delandra, Anthony, Tamara, Erica, Alfredo and Rose to see how first year is going, what makes them excited about Texas Pharmacy and becoming a future Longhorn pharmacist and how they unwind after a long day of classes and studying.
Delandra Robinson
Hometown: Missouri City, TX (near Houston!)
Education: B.S. Biology, Howard University
What impact do you want to have in healthcare/pharmacy and/or the community?
As a Black woman in pharmacy, I want to be a voice and resource for my community. I hope that my efforts can help reduce the stigma surrounding seeking and receiving healthcare.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Whenever I felt overwhelmed as a child, my parents always told me “Don’t let it beat you, you beat it” (the phrase made its debut after I fell off of my bike at age eight). It sounds simple, but it gave me the push that I needed to change my perspective on the situation and move towards a solution instead of feeling defeated.
After you’ve hung up your white coat for the day how do you spend your time?
I love to visit museums! I went to a lot of the free Smithsonian museums when I did my undergrad in DC, I always learned something new and interesting.
If you had a warning or advisory label, what would it say?
Caution: Liable to share random trivia.
Anthony Wang
Hometown: Reno, NV
Education: Pre-Pharmacy; B.S. Biology, Boston College
Who's your hero?
My hero is my mother. Her selfless sacrifice, love and resilience provided me the opportunity to pursue a career in pharmacy and inspired me to always try to be optimistic and apply my best effort in everything that I do.
Do you have a favorite activity that you enjoy or unwind with when not studying?
I love to cook. I am always in search of new recipes to expand my cooking repertoire.
What is the best advice you ever received?
True success is about overcoming the fear of being unsuccessful.
Tamara Tarbox
Hometown: Austin, TX
Education: B.S. in Chemistry & Microbiology, Texas State University; MSPS in Pharmaceutical Sciences, UT Austin
What excites you most about the future of healthcare and the pharmaceutical sciences?
The COVID-19 pandemic really shined a light on how important pharmacists are as healthcare workers in the US, and I think the resulting growing pains will continue to create momentum for positive change. I am excited to see how our profession adapts and how we improve patient outcomes as a result of everything we learn from this experience.
What impact do you want to have in healthcare/pharmacy and/or the community?
I look forward to helping improve health outcomes in my community, and I’m here now (at UT) specifically to figure out how to do just that!
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Don’t judge a book by its cover.
How do you recharge after a busy week?
I love nature—hiking, camping—there are so many beautiful parks in Texas. We truly are blessed.
Erica Jermain
Hometown: Georgetown, TX
Education: Pre-Pharmacy, UT Austin
Why Texas Pharmacy?
I chose The University of Texas at Austin because I love the city of Austin and because of the prestige of the college of pharmacy. Between the people, things to do and school spirit around UT, Austin is a great place to call home!
What impact do you want to have in healthcare/pharmacy and/or the community?
As a future pharmacist, I hope to not only be an asset to my workplace but also a resource for my community. I grew up with a lot of pharmacists in my family and admired how people in our community would come to them for medication advice or just health-related questions in general.
Student pharmacist by day, ________ by night. Do you have a side passion or hobby you particularly enjoy or unwind with?
In my free time, one of my hobbies is dance. I got the chance to compete at World of Dance in Dallas in the spring of 2022 with a competitive adult hip hop dance team based here in Austin and love taking classes and continuing training!
Alfredo Guerrero
Hometown: Houston, TX
Education: Pre-Pharmacy, UT Austin
What excites you most about the future of healthcare/pharmacy?
I graduated from UT Austin in 2018 with my bachelor’s degree and decided that the next step in my educational career would be in the field of pharmacy. I had no prior experience in pharmacy, so I decided to work as a pharmacy technician to gain a first-hand understanding of the workflow in a community pharmacy. I soon learned how rapidly the field of pharmacy can evolve, as the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic drastically altered the scope of our team and the roles we filled. Despite this time being one of the most stressful periods for me professionally, it solidified the fact that pharmacy is the correct choice for me. I am excited by the idea of our profession being able to expand beyond what was traditionally expected, and I cannot wait to see how the field has further developed by the time I begin to practice.
What impact do you want to have in healthcare/pharmacy and/or the community?
When deciding how I wanted to explore outcomes for my undergraduate degree, I quickly realized that research in microbiology would not satisfy my personal desire to make connections with others. It took me some time to find a career path that combined my curiosity of microorganisms and biochemistry and patient care.
With my background in microbiology, I was very drawn to the study of HIV and the pharmacotherapeutic approaches to prevent or suppress infection. As a queer person with access, I have had the privilege to familiarize myself with all these interventions. However, I am fully aware that not everyone in our community has access or even the knowledge that these interventions exist. What ultimately delineated my path to pharmacy was my desire to spread that knowledge of resources and to help expand access to those who are most at risk in our community. We do not gain much out of producing novel HIV treatments if we do not have the means to promote their availability and foster a desire for therapy adherence. This is where I want to have my impact in the community.
Rose Al Dahash
Hometown: Born in Babylon, Iraq
Education: B.A. in Biology, St. Edwards University; Associates Degree in Pre-Medical, Austin Community College; Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering from my country
Why did you choose UT Austin College of Pharmacy?
I chose UT Austin College of Pharmacy because it is one of the best schools in the nation, and I was sure I would receive the best education. I chose pharmacy school because it was my childhood dream to help my mom. She has asthma and has been suffering for more than twenty-five years.
Who’s your hero?
My father is my hero.
What impact do you want to have in healthcare/pharmacy and/or the community?
I am a very patient person, especially with older adults. I can handle more than one task if I am well-trained.
Do you have a side passion or hobby that you enjoy or unwind to when not studying?
I like baking fancy cakes.
