Unique journeys, one shared purpose
Olivia Obeng Asare is a first-year PharmD candidate at the Creighton University School of Pharmacy and Health Professions.
Walk into any pharmacy classroom and you will quickly realize that no two journeys look the same. Some students have known since high school that they wanted to become pharmacists, while others discover the profession through unexpected opportunities and experiences. Our backgrounds, motivations, and paths may differ, but we all arrive with a common purpose: to serve patients and improve the health of our communities.
My own path to pharmacy has included several unexpected turns.
Early seed of my curiosity
My interest in health care began while I was in high school in the United Kingdom. Through school-arranged work experiences, I had the opportunity to shadow a physiotherapist and spend time in a nursing home. These early experiences showed me the impact health care professionals can have on patients’ lives. Yet my curiosity about medications began even earlier at home.
Although my father never attended college, he had a deep passion for learning and placed a strong emphasis on education for our family. With only a high school certificate, he trained as a pharmacy assistant at a local hospital and developed an impressive knowledge of medications and patient care. Growing up, I often listened as he discussed treatment options with physicians and nurses whenever one of us fell ill. His confidence and understanding of medications planted the first seed of my curiosity about the pharmaceutical field.
That curiosity deepened during my undergraduate studies in biological sciences. I still remember my college laboratory experiences: extracting limonene from lemon peels, isolating carvone from caraway seeds, and synthesizing benzocaine. Those moments in the lab made chemistry come alive and strengthened my interest in how medicines are developed and used to improve health.
Circuitous route leads me back to pharmacy
After earning my degree in the United Kingdom, I relocated to the United States in 2005, a move that temporarily disrupted my academic and career plans. Determined to continue pursuing pharmacy, I attended an open house at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy in Jacksonville and soon began working at Walgreens as a pharmacy technician. Within a year, my training and academic background helped me earn national certification as a pharmacy technician.
Just as my path toward pharmacy seemed to be taking shape, I made another life-changing decision and joined the United States Air Force. Although I initially hoped to serve in the medical corps, I was assigned to logistics. What began as an unexpected detour became an opportunity to develop leadership, discipline, and responsibility. As a noncommissioned officer, I supervised airmen and later served as a unit deployment manager, coordinating with commanders, military units, and international partners to prepare personnel for deployment.
When my military career ended earlier than expected, I returned to the goal that first inspired me. Retaking science courses and rebuilding my academic path renewed my focus and strengthened my commitment to pharmacy.
Around that time, my youngest sibling completed an accelerated pharmacy program and graduated in 2025. Watching her reach that milestone reminded me of the goal I had once set for myself. Even though I had been uncertain about returning to pharmacy, seeing her accomplishment gave me the final push I needed to submit my application to the Creighton University School of Pharmacy and Health Professions.
What brings us together
Student pharmacists arrive at this profession through many unique journeys. Some paths are direct, while others involve unexpected turns and moments of rediscovery. What matters most is the purpose that brings us together—the opportunity to combine knowledge, compassion, and service to improve the lives of patients and communities.
Different journeys. One shared purpose.