College of Pharmacy Recognizes Student Achievement with Virtual Awards Ceremony
| Students in the College of Pharmacy (COP) completed applications, wrote essays and participated in interviews, all while managing a challenging academic course load during a global pandemic. On April 7, pharmacy students collectively received more than 100 scholarships and awards during the college’s Virtual Student Awards Ceremony.
“The applications and essays this year were phenomenal, and they demonstrated the hard work and dedication our students have to the profession as well as to our community,” said Melanie Reinhardt, Pharm.D., associate professor and chair of the COP Awards and Financial Aid Committee.
Melanie Reinhardt, Pharm.D., congratulates scholarship recipients during the ceremony.
Although students may have different career plans, they all share one significant goal — to graduate from pharmacy school, while achieving financial independence as quickly as possible. Thanks to donor contributions, these scholarships and awards will help students continue their education and provide more of a financial cushion during their time in school.
“There’s hardly a day that goes by that I don’t feel thankful for everything these awards have done for me. These scholarships have helped me pay for almost an entire year of my education, which is life-changing,” said Seth Wilson, a graduating fourth-year pharmacy student, as he delivered the keynote address.
Scholarship recipients ranged from first-year to third-year students, and these awards not only substantially impact their academic experience but also their personal and professional lives.
Seth Wilson delivers keynote address to his fellow classmates.
“Receiving these awards helped me believe in myself as a young professional and gave me confidence at a time when I really needed to adapt to new situations in the field,” Wilson said.
He noted how important it is for students to have the ability to focus on patients and coursework, without an overwhelming amount of financial stress, as they “continue driving the world of pharmacy forward.”
During the ceremony, scholarship recipients thanked donors with video tributes and also wrote personalized notes of gratitude.
“In addition to recognizing our students, this event is an outward expression to honor our donors,” said Cindy Stowe, Pharm.D., dean of the college. “Our donors make this event possible.”
Donors included alumni and faculty members, in addition to organizations in Arkansas and throughout the country, many of whom have regularly contributed to scholarship awards for decades.
Traditionally, students take part in an in-person ceremony. This year, organizers of the virtual ceremony honored the students with a photo and award name. Reinhardt individually announced each award recipient to recognize their scholastic achievements.
While the ceremony is geared toward student recognition, the students also take time to honor a faculty member with the Rho Chi Honor Society Teacher of the Year Award, which is voted on by all pharmacy students in the first three years of the program. Rho Chi president Madison Green presented Ryo Fujiwara, Pharm.D., Ph.D., with the award. Fujiwara has been an assistant professor in the college since 2019.
Scholarship Recipients
- April Abston Williams Memorial Endowed Scholarship – Brooke Lessenberry
- Arkansas Association of Health-System Pharmacists Endowed Scholarship – Callie Clement
- Arkansas Pharmacy Foundation Charles M. West Award – Alex Moore
- Arkansas Pharmacy Foundation Endowed Scholarship – Ashlyn Tedder
- J.C. Baker and Family Endowed Scholarship in Pharmacy – Rachel Murray
- Joey Baker Endowed Scholarship – Stephanie Rivas
- Charles K. Born Endowed Scholarship – Alexis Pace
- Buice Drug Endowed Scholarship – Mackenzie Reinhart
- Clark Family Endowed Scholarship – Katie Woolard
- Class of 1952 Endowed Scholarship – Hannah Hunt and Rianna Rea
- Class of 1981 Endowed Scholarship – Brooke Lessenberry
- Class of 2003 Doug Eoff Memorial Endowed Scholarship – Alex Day
- Class of 2004 Endowed Scholarship – Isabelle Reaves
- Collier Family Northwest Arkansas College of Pharmacy Endowed Scholarship – Cayley McCollough
- CVS Health Foundation Pharmacy Scholarship – Vidya Desai
- Emmanuel Endowed Scholarship – Abigail Parker
- Karrol and Vicki Fowlkes Excellence in Community Pharmacy Endowed Scholarship – Julie Feimster
- Dr. Jan and Cpt. Terry Hastings/Dr. Bill and Mrs. Betty Loe Endowed Scholarship – Dylan Yowell
- Lester E. Hosto Endowed Scholarship – Tanner Cooper
- Lester Hosto/SNPhA Award – DeAnna Massey
- Kappa Psi Endowed Scholarship – Jasiha Welch
- Wilma Knoll Endowed Geriatric Scholarship – Brias Watson
- Leonard Kremers Endowed Scholarship – Bobby Le
- Larkin Family Pharmacy Endowed Scholarship – Story Hart
- Robert N. and Robert H. Manley Endowed Scholarship – Jocelyn Brown
- Dr. Brenda Sue Martinez and Dr. Domingo Martinez Scholarship – Kristin Johnson
- Jack McCormack Endowed Scholarship – Katie Angel
- L.D. Milne Endowed Scholarship – Michael Kramer
- NACDS Scholarship – Lindsey Cooper and Lexi Jacobus
- Dr. Lee and Mrs. Beverly Parker Scholarship – Brooke Steinbeck
- Rhea Family Freshman Incentive Endowed Scholarship – Alan Herrera-Rueda
- Rho Chi Endowed Scholarship – Madison Green
- Mark S. Riley, Pharm. D. Endowed Scholarship – Jason Lam
- Neil and Clara Spain Endowed Scholarship – Caroline Scott and Marissa Watson
- Larry and Peggy Stanley Excellence in Pharmacy Practice Endowed Scholarship – Nghi Tran
- John Swaim Endowed Scholarship – Kyle Davis and Rebecca Zodrow
- Lloyd R. Thompson Endowed Scholarship – Jonathan Hardage, Hannah Howard and Victor Tanthaphengxay
- Dr. Richard G. Underwood Student Award – Morgan Tracy
- USA Drug Employees Endowed Scholarship – Alex Moore
- Walgreens Multilingual Award – Carina Phouthakhio
- Walgreens Diversity & Inclusion Excellence Scholarship – Taylor McClanahan
- Walmart-Sam’s Club Student Leadership Endowed Scholarship – Marco Morris
- Honorable George Wimberly Endowed Scholarship – Sydney Zotti
- UAMS License Plate Scholarship – Anna DeLoach
Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy Rural Student Loan Award Program
- Katie Angel
- Shelby Burchfield
- Gale Lee
- Stephanie Rivas
- Samantha Turner
College of Pharmacy Awards
- Elma Abdullah
- Daniel Armstrong
- Justin Dino
- Paisley Emerson
- Krupali Gandhi
- Michelle Hernandez
- Tori Hoggard
- Hannah Johnson
- Katie Knott
- Lauren Little
- Madeline Malloy
- Cayley McCollough
- Lillie Pham
- Ben Quattlebaum
- Alexa Ramick
- Rachel Senn
- Mary Rose Siebenmorgen
- Laiken Sorells
- Emily Sumler
- Ashlyn Tedder
- Samantha Turner
- Kaitlyn Williams
- Jasmine Wilson
- Lindsey Worthington
- Dylan Yowell
National Pharmacists Association of Arkansas Endowed Scholarship
- Michelle Briere
- Taylor Connor
- Leah Evans
- Kennede McLeroy-Charles
- Brendan Midkiff
- Maria Neal
Student Research Fellowship
- Elma Abdullah
- Fatimah Al-Doori
- Daniel Armstrong
- Whitney Austin
- Brendon Coughran
- Ashton Hale
- Hannah Howard
- Michelle Le
- Madeline Malloy
- Kennede McLeroy-Charles
- Ben Quattlebaum
- Alexa Ramick
- Ngoc Tran
- Rachel Ward