Every Moment Matters: Celebrate, Cherish, Create

Rachel Lucky is a final-year PharmD candidate at the Union University College of Pharmacy and the 2025–2026 APhA–ASP national president.

The APhA–ASP presidential theme is designed to inspire and unite student pharmacists around a shared purpose we can carry throughout the year. “Every Moment Matters: Celebrate, Cherish, Create,” my 2025–2026 presidential theme, is a mindset shift that challenges us to stop stressing about creating meaning in each moment and instead start recognizing that the meaning is already present.

I first wrestled with this idea during my own first semester of pharmacy school. Looking at my calendar, every block of time was accounted for: lectures, labs, work, leadership roles, and research. I felt overwhelmed and wondered where I was supposed to fit in time for the things that really mattered like rest, connection, and purpose. But over time, I realized I didn’t need to find extra moments to make my life meaningful. I needed to see the ones I already had differently.

Future is built on choices made now

Student pharmacists are often fixated on the next thing—the exam, the rotation, the job, the future. It’s tempting to think that meaning and impact begin once we reach the finish line. But the truth is, the future is built in the everyday choices we make now. Every class you attend, patient you counsel, or peer you encourage is shaping not just your professional path but your personal growth. Your years in pharmacy school are not a pause from your purpose; rather, they are part of it.

This theme calls us to celebrate the moments that shaped us, cherish the ones we are living in right now, and create the ones ahead. That includes seeing lectures as opportunities to learn how to serve others, chapter meetings as opportunities to be a part of something bigger than us, and even personal care as a way to honor the gift of our health and well-being.

Putting the theme into action

Since introducing this theme at the 2025 APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition in Nashville this past March, I’ve challenged myself to live it out in both big and small ways. I invite you to do the same. What might change if you approached this week differently? What if you chose to show up fully—even when it’s inconvenient? To invest in a classmate, a project, or a patient interaction with your full attention?

In this upcoming series of articles and throughout the year, we will be highlighting how student pharmacists across the country are putting this theme into action. I can’t wait to see the moments you celebrate, cherish, and create this year—in your community, your chapter, and your story.