View Larger Image Image by Evan Lewis

College of Pharmacy Students Receive Scholarships in Dual Ceremonies

Sept. 29, 2026 | The UAMS College of Pharmacy held separate ceremonies in Little Rock and Springdale on Sept. 17 and 18 to celebrate 136 students who received scholarships this year. The annual events recognize the students’ hard work and the contributions made by the college’s many donors.

Dean Cindy Stowe, Pharm.D., attended both ceremonies and shook hands with each student as they came on stage to be honored. She recognized students, donors, faculty, and staff in turn for their role in shaping the future of the pharmacy profession.

“Students, your hard work, resilience, and commitment to serving others brought you here today,” Stowe said. “Whether your recognition comes from academic excellence, community service, leadership, or research, you exemplify the heart of our profession. Donors, thank you for standing with us. Your generosity fuels dreams, opens doors, and shapes the future of pharmacy in every corner of our state and beyond.”

Donor contributions through scholarships and awards help pharmacy students continue their education by providing financial assistance. Students fulfill various criteria to be considered for scholarships, including submitting applications and letters of recommendation, writing essays, and meeting in-person with the awards committee.

“These scholarships carry a deep legacy within our college, spanning many years,” said Brendan Frett, Ph.D., assistant professor and chair of the College of Pharmacy Awards Committee. “The quality of applications for these awards continues to rise, reflecting the hard work and dedication our students bring to both the pharmacy profession and the communities they serve.”

Across both events, 55 awards and scholarships were presented to 136 students, representing more than $750,000 in total support, Stowe said. These included state-funded scholarships, endowed and non-endowed scholarships, the Arkansas Board of Pharmacy’s loan and scholarship program, and the newly created Chancellor’s Scholars Program, announced by UAMS Chancellor C. Lowry Barnes, M.D., late last year.

Rachel Siebenmorgen, Pharm.D., a 2026 College of Pharmacy graduate, gave the keynote address in Springdale. Now working as a pharmacist in Elkins, she told the students about how scholarships helped steer her to a career in rural pharmacy.

“At the time, I was incredibly thankful for the financial support, but looking back now, I realize these scholarships were much more than helping with tuition — they gave me the opportunity to focus more fully on becoming the pharmacist that I wanted to become,” Siebenmorgen said.

“Your generosity does more than provide financial assistance,” Siebenmorgen told the donors in attendance. “You give students the freedom to focus on their education, explore different opportunities, and discover where they can make their difference. You may never know where your investment will take each student, but your impact can reach communities and patients far beyond the walls of UAMS. I know that because I’m one of those students.”

In Little Rock, two faculty members were recognized with awards. Chris Johnson, Pharm.D., associate professor of pharmacy practice, received the Wolfe Faculty Excellence Award. Melanie Reinhardt, Pharm.D., associate professor of pharmacy practice, received the Rho Chi Teacher of the Year award, voted on by pharmacy students.

Additionally, there was a special presentation for emeritus professor Jon Wolfe, Pharm.D., who received the Willow Award for Excellence in End-of-Life Care for his dedication in educating pharmacy students on death, dying, and compassionate end-of-life care. The award is sponsored by Smith Family Funeral Homes and Tipton & Hurst.

During his 30-year tenure with the College of Pharmacy, Wolfe and the late Reed Thompson, M.D., developed a course to help students better understand the processes and experiences of a dying patient and their family, which he led until 2007. D. Micah Hester, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Medical Humanities and Bioethics, who nominated Wolfe for the award, now leads the course.

Wolfe is the first educator to receive the award, said Jodie McGinley, the Willow Award’s executive director and co-founder.

“This year, we received a nomination unlike any that we have ever had before,” McGinley said. “This nomination was for an educator — someone whose influence was not measured by one patient at a time, but through generations of healthcare professionals who carried his lessons into hospitals, clinics, hospices, and communities all around the world. Dr. Wolfe, today we want to ensure that those contributions are not only heard about, but celebrated.”

Scholarship Recipients

• April Abston Williams Endowed Scholarship — Louise Herzfeld
• Arkansas Association of Health-System Pharmacists Endowed Scholarship — Loveleen Kaur
• Arkansas Pharmacy Foundation Endowed Distinguished Charles M. West Award — Evelyn McHaney
• Arkansas Pharmacy Foundation Endowed Distinguished Scholarship — Grace Fuell
• Buice Drug (George Wimberly) Endowed Scholarship — Jacqueline Grace Booker
• Chancellor’s Scholarship — Chloe Cerrato, Cole Hanson, Rebecca Hartman, Kamryn Hutchinson, Chloe King
• Charles K. Born Endowed Scholarship — Johanna Lasiter
• Charles M. West Leadership Excellence Award — William Steele
• Class of 1952 Endowed Scholarship — Arda Hacioglu
• Class of 1981 Endowed Scholarship — Tionna Lyles
• Class of 2003 Doug Eoff Memorial Endowed Scholarship — Mercedes Ramsey
• Class of 2004 Professionalism Endowed Scholarship — Josiah Weimer
• Class of 2013 Endowed Scholarship — Jordan Cormier
• Class of 2020 Practice Resilience Award – Jordae Hunter
• Class of 2021 Serving the Community Award — Ash Chinnery
• Collier Family UAMS Northwest College of Pharmacy Endowed Scholarship — Trevor Jones
• Don Kenneth Hall Class of 1962 Endowed Scholarship — Connor Corley
• Jan and Cpt. Terry Hastings/Dr. Bill and Mrs. Betty Loe Endowed Scholarship — Hieu Pham
• Richard G. Underwood Student Award — Nevaeh Oloughlin
• Anne & Scott Pace Advocacy in Pharmacy Endowed Scholarship — Madison Healy
• Brandon and Kaley Achor Advancement in Community Pharmacy Endowed Scholarship — Aspen Huseman
• Emmanuel Endowed Scholarship — Austin Teal
• Gary Clark Family Endowed University Scholarship — Somaya Ibrahim, Hailey Lambert, Jasmin Preston
• Honorable George Wimberly Endowed Scholarship — Abbi Calloway
• Jack McCormack Endowed Scholarship — Amy Tran
• JC Baker and Family Endowed Scholarship in Pharmacy — Kylee Lyons
• Joey Baker Endowed Scholarship — Maggie Watlington
• John Swaim Endowed Scholarship — Taylor Bandala
• Kappa Psi Endowed Scholarship — Maraam Zonfuly
• Karrol and Vicki Fowlkes Excellence in Community Pharmacy Endowed University Scholarship — Hannah Halmes
• D. Milne Endowed Distinguished Scholarship — Morgan Brown, Lauren Dayer
• Larkin Family Pharmacy Endowed Distinguished Scholarship — Jarrett Mitchell, Luis Palafox
• Larry and Peggy Stanley Excellence in Pharmacy Practice Endowed Scholarship — Marissa Bones
• Leonard Kremers Endowed Scholarship — Allie Parsons
• Lester E. Hosto Endowed Scholarship — Lorelei Kellhofer
• Lloyd R. Thompson Endowed Distinguished Scholarship — Dylan Silverman-Barnes, Braden Petersen
• Mark S. Riley, Pharm.D., Endowed Scholarship — Trevor Jones
• National Pharmacists Association of Arkansas Endowed Distinguished Scholarship — Kennedi Burns, Londyn Edwards, Jack Mwamba, Sophia Wilborn
• Neil and Clara Spain Endowed Scholarship — Greyson Allen
• Pilar Murphy Award — Kailee West
• Rho Chi Endowed Scholarship — Korinne Mangan
• Robert N. Manley and Robert H. Manley Endowed Distinguished Scholarship — Zongca Moua
• Roy Rhea Freshman Incentive Endowed Distinguished Scholarship — Dana Lattimore
• Stephanie Goodart O’Neal Scholarship — Brilee Petty
• The Eddie Dunn Joy of Pharmacy Scholarship — Kiley Williams
• The Groves Family Endowed Scholarship — Alexandra Langston
• The Lauren and Bobby Glaze Practice Experience Support Award — Kylee Lyons
• USA Drug Employees Endowed Dean’s Scholarship — Evelyn McHaney
• Walgreens Multilingual Scholarship — Kory Thongkham
• Walgreens Pharmacy Champion Scholarship — Clayton Ashcraft
• Walmart-Sam’s Club Student Leadership Endowed Scholarship — Shira Hendrix
• Wilma Knoll Endowed Geriatric Scholarship — Matthew Dursi

Arkansas Board of Pharmacy Rural Student Loan/Scholarship

Clayton Ashcraft, Jacqueline Grace Booker, Peyton Fowler, Connor Gray, Hannah Halmes, Angelia Heflin, Aspen Huseman, Trevor Jones, Garrett Matlock, Sarah Riley, Addyson Schwartz, Jeremiah Smith, Clare Stephens, Emily Wagner, Kailee West

College of Pharmacy Awards

Scarlett Averett, Bronwyne Bain, Kia Bursey-Walker, Jaci Buxton, Regan Czarnecki, Micah Duncan, Sohrob Farahbakhsh, Paige Fithen, Kennedy Foster, Dallas Fuller, Jonathan Gass, Emily Griffin, Ebeneezer Gyan, Daniel Hall, Grace Harris, Katie Haynes, Jared Hickson, Kayla Jackson, Alyssa Kailey, Nathan Lemke, Jefferson Malone, Ethan Martinez, Heather Mason, Jonah Nester, Kathy Nguyen, Nga Nguyen, Thao Nguyen, Alyssa Nolan, Baylor Owen, Raina Rush, Lizzie Sandlin, Sara Schellack, Isaac Scott, Ally Setser, Abbigale Sullins, Gianna Taylor, Atasia Thomas, Khai Truong, Hunter Trussel, Ethan Turner, Gillian Waters, Abigail Weihe, Madison Weydert, Daniel Yates, Korinne Mangan

Student Research Fellowships

Connor Corley, Grace Edwards, Sohrob Farahbakhsh, Dallas Fuller, Gavin Hargrove, Angelia Heflin, Mallory Kim, Nevaeh Oloughlin, Luis Palafox, Madison Poole, Patrick Taylor, Ethan Turner, Abigail Weihe, Sophia Wilborn, Brent Wilson, Alexandra Setser, Ebeneezer Gyan, Ethan Martinez, Isaac Scott, Jonah Nester, Kathy Nguyen, Micah Duncan, Raina Rush