Andrew Hagmeier is a final-year PharmD candidate at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy.
“Guided by Purpose, Lifted by Unity”— Sean Kawa’s 2026–2027 APhA–ASP presidential theme—captures the kind of pharmacist and leader I want to become. Purpose is the resolve to keep patients, classmates, and communities at the center of every decision. Unity is what turns an individual’s purpose into momentum; it’s the difference between one voice and a stadium of them.
I see this theme reflected in the missions of both organizations I’m proud to be part of: the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy’s commitment to health equity through inclusive, collaborative care, and APhA–ASP’s commitment to amplifying the collective voice of student pharmacists in advancing the profession.
No one should feel like an outsider
Being guided by purpose has taught me that leadership isn’t about a title. Leadership is about deciding that no one should feel like an outsider in their own school or community. Events, advocacy, and the spaces we build for students are rarely about the activity itself; they’re purpose made visible.
What matters isn’t who organized it, but whether classmates walk away feeling like they belong and like someone is actually listening to what they need.
That interprofessional spirit
Unity is what has let that purpose grow beyond me. Mentorship works the same way. When knowledge is shared instead of guarded, growth doesn’t stop with one person. It multiplies. Patient care is similar. Counseling, vaccinating, and collaborating across disciplines only matters because someone is willing to show up fully for another person’s most vulnerable moment, alongside others who care just as much.
That’s the interprofessional spirit school prepares us for, and it’s the same philosophy APhA–ASP calls student pharmacists toward.
Building toward continuity
Advocacy, in a way, is purpose and unity working in tandem. Speaking up on policy issues facing the profession is rarely about being heard individually; it is purpose guiding us toward something worth saying and unity making sure it was said together so our voices have a combined seat at the table. Community outreach lives by that same rule: Purpose plants the seed, and unity is what lifts the whole community to thrive. One effort becomes a shared rhythm, carried forward long after the initiator has moved on.
This continuity is what I want to build toward. Purpose without unity fades with the person who possesses it. Unity without purpose is motion without meaning. Together, they’re what let our service outlast any event or title, which is really the only kind of leadership worth practicing. Guided by purpose means knowing what we stand for. Lifted by unity means making sure that service becomes part of who we are, not just what one individual can do.
Call to action
As student pharmacists, we don't need to wait for the perfect title to lead. Choose one purposeful action and one meaningful partnership this semester. Let unity carry it further than you could alone. Then include others with you.