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Forty-four high school students participated in this year's pharmacy camp. Image by Evan Lewis

Mixing Up Fun: Young Students Enjoy Learning at Pharmacy Camp

July 8, 2026 | Trying new things can be fun, but challenging too. For Aria Bursey, 15, a rising junior at Bryant High School, the first day of compounding labs at summer pharmacy camp felt intimidating. By day two, she quickly found her stride.

“Yesterday I had a lot of nerves because I didn’t know what I was doing, but I feel a lot better now,” Bursey said, while carefully stirring a beaker of liquid glycerin to make soap. “It was fun seeing everybody come together to make one item and really process stuff. Everybody’s just so focused. It’s so cool!”

Bursey was one of 44 high school students from around the state who participated in the UAMS College of Pharmacy’s annual pharmacy camp, held June 1-3 at the main campus in Little Rock.

Over three days, students heard lectures from several faculty members, enjoyed fun teambuilding activities, and toured research labs. For many, the highlight is often the daily compounding labs, where students don gowns, gloves, and safety glasses to create useful items to take home.

“It’s definitely been these labs,” said Suleyman Acikgoz, 15, a rising junior at Little Rock Central High School. “Today we made lip balm, soap, and foam cleanser. We just made a lot of things, from combining things together and heating them up. It’s been very fun.”

Acikgoz had participated in labs before for AP chemistry classes, but said that the pharmacy camp compounding labs were more focused and hands-on.

“I’m going to explore some more options in the medical field, but I would definitely try to do something hands-on like this,” he said. “That’s something I’ve learned and loved about pharmacy camp.”

Campers stood four to a table, with chairs removed to make it easier to move around. They lined up to receive their blue and white gowns, safety glasses, and gloves, as well as beakers, graduated cylinders, and other equipment they’d need for the day. Reading from instructions, and with a College of Pharmacy student ambassador at each table, each student mixed their own masterpiece. The lab was a hub of activity: mixing, pouring, heating, cleaning, labeling.

Melanie Reinhardt, Pharm.D., associate professor of pharmacy practice, moved through the aisles with practiced ease, offering tips, and answering questions. She said that learning labs through pharmacy camp is a good primer for pharmacy school, particularly with the newly implemented curriculum including longitudinal labs every semester for three years.

“Compounding is something that uses that creative side of the brain. We tend to overwork the other side of the brain, I think,” Reinhardt said. “Problem-solving is a big part of compounding. Typically, the students we get here are very serious and have high expectations. That’s wonderful, but we want this to be a fun experience, too.”

Reinhardt added that she also enjoys watching the student ambassadors, who are pharmacy students working towards graduation. The camp allows them an opportunity to teach others and reinforces the knowledge and techniques they’ve been learning in their classes.

“To me, it’s so rewarding to see our students jump in and teach,” she said. “I think it reaffirms to them, ‘I have learned this.’ It’s just fun.”

Camilia Nauden, a second-year pharmacy student and student ambassador at the camp, said she knows what it’s like to be uncertain about the future, and valued her role in helping others.

“It does give me confidence,” Nauden said. “It’s really rewarding because at one point I was in the same shoes as them, just trying to map out things and figure out what works for me as a career. I like being able to support the youth and be a safe space for them to figure that stuff out, like if they have questions or want a real, firsthand experience.”

Fourth-year pharmacy student Evelyn McHaney, who has been a student ambassador at multiple pharmacy camps, said working with campers gives her hope for the future of the profession.

“It’s really encouraging to see the students who haven’t even ventured into their college journey yet, but they’re already interested in pharmacy,” McHaney said. “My whole table said, ‘Yeah, I actually want to come to pharmacy school.’ It’s encouraging to see that there are future students that are interested in wanting to come here. Them just stepping out and doing this is awesome.”

Reaid Hasan, Ph.D., pharmaceutical sciences instructor, joined the College of Pharmacy faculty last year and was participating in his first pharmacy camp. He praised the valuable camp experiences and looked forward to some campers choosing pharmacy as a career.

“This is an opportunity for an informed decision for them, and also to talk to faculty and student ambassadors,” Hasan said. “This gives them a very good experience of what pharmacy school looks like, and also what the profession looks like. And they can also learn, through pharmacy school, how they can get involved with public health, and how they can change people’s lives.”

As she surveyed the humming activity of the lab, Reinhardt reflected on the transformative growth that students undergo from camper, to student, to professional. It’s a process she’s seen repeatedly, and one that always puts a smile on her face.

“It’s a very visible transformation,” she said. “These students are young, and look at them —they’re all engaged. I don’t see a single phone out.”