Alexandra Cochran is a final-year PharmD candidate at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy and a 2023–2024 APhA–ASP national member-at-large.
Serving as a 2023–2024 APhA–ASP national member-at-large has been an incredible opportunity for me. I have loved working with the APhA–ASP National Executive Committee (NEC) to help build a community of student pharmacists who feel empowered and energized to believe in themselves and come together to advance the profession. During my term so far, I have had the pleasure of traveling and meeting student pharmacists from across the country during outreach visits, and serving as the national liaison to the Member Engagement Standing Committee.
Recently, I have been reflecting on the moment I decided to run for this national position, which was at the 2022 APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition in San Antonio.
What I believe in
I was sitting in the 2022 APhA–ASP House of Delegates listening to Victoria Lyle give her APhA–ASP national president-elect candidate speech. I remember hearing how excited she was to impact APhA–ASP and it got me thinking that maybe I could impact the academy, too. When Victoria was elected, I knew I wanted to serve on her team to help inspire student pharmacists to achieve their goals through APhA–ASP.
The next step was to run for the NEC at APhA2023. As the meeting grew closer, I started thinking about why I wanted to serve in a national leadership position. I focused on how I could serve APhA–ASP if elected and a few statements came to mind.
- I believe in student pharmacists.
- I believe that we are the future generation of pharmacy.
- I believe that APhA is for every pharmacist and for all of pharmacy.
These statements are the reason I sought a national leadership position. I wanted to run because I wanted to make a positive impact on student pharmacists. Being able to advocate for, serve, and empower student pharmacists was important in my decision to run for national office. I believe that advocating for the profession as a student pharmacist is vital to our future. I loved that I would be able to help fight for change within the profession. We are the next generation of pharmacists and being able to share my excitement about APhA–ASP is one of the best parts about my position.
Honored to serve
My hope is that the rest of my term will be filled with meeting more student pharmacists, and envisioning and advancing the profession together. Serving as one of your APhA–ASP national members-at-large has been my favorite part of pharmacy school and I am honored to have been able to lead in this role.
My advice to anyone who wants to run for the NEC is to believe in yourself and know that APhA–ASP is a place where every student pharmacist can achieve their personal and professional goals within pharmacy. Check out all the APhA–ASP leadership opportunities today.