The SLI “pharmily” trip
Karishma Patel (bottom left) and fellow SLI attendees enjoy a “pharmily” meal at APhA headquarters this past July.
Stepping onto the raised platform during the Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy APhA–ASP Chapter 2017–18 Leadership Retreat during the first week of September was one of the most terrifying and thrilling experiences I have had. My first night addressing student members and leaders as Chapter President was pivotal, and it represented the pace and vision our chapter would set forth for the year. My goal was to inspire each student to realize the full potential they have both personally and professionally as a student pharmacist, a potential they could fulfill with APhA–ASP.
A potential I honestly would not have fully realized and experienced myself without my fellow chapter leaders throughout the country. I met those leaders while attending the APhA–ASP Summer Leadership Institute (SLI) in July, and the experience was truly a game changer for me.
Preparing for leadership
As summer was coming to a close, I was rather excited about September rolling around the corner just so I could reunite with my fellow Rutgers student pharmacists, commence the general interest meetings, organize grassroots for student immunizations, and capture memories with my brand-new camera! I started to realize that despite the many hours I had spent shadowing the roles and responsibilities of my immediate past president, it was easy for me to overlook the depth of the commitment I had made to my chapter and the profession for the upcoming year ahead. Come September, I would no longer be the president-elect shadowing and observing. Come September, I would be the leader that student pharmacists and fellow student leaders would look to for guidance and vision. Each leader I had encountered so far seemed to be confident and prepared. Would I ever get to that level? The butterflies began circling. Then I remembered SLI.
In the same pharmacy boat
I recalled walking into the Rayburn House Office Building on the Friday of SLI, completely unsure of what to expect. These were student pharmacists, student leaders, just like me. So why was I so nervous? The excitement to kick off the weekend conference was contagious and I quickly found myself in deep conversations with old friends and fellow leaders who soon became new friends.
As my fellow New Jersey Capitol Hill visits group raced from building to building, I felt a sense of accomplishment and pride for representing student pharmacists across the country. I have had my fair share of congressional office visits, so I quickly fell into the natural pattern of talking about policy issues affecting student pharmacists and the profession. One of my group members turned to me, exclaiming about the ease with which I conversed on provider status; she was surprised when I disclosed I had conducted numerous visits. She used our first visit to listen to the conversation and observe the exchange. As an incoming president, I was overjoyed when she asked further questions about my chapter and some of our initiatives.
As the conversations continued throughout the weekend, it dawned on me that we were all in the same boat, and that was exactly why we had been brought together.
Inspired and ready
Over that weekend, I found myself in a “pharmily” of student pharmacists who genuinely cared about each other and hoped for one another’s success. I am not sure when exactly, but at some point during SLI weekend, the butterflies and nerves were replaced with eagerness and inspiration. After learning from so many student leaders about their initiatives, their visions, and their generosity, I felt empowered and inspired. The best part is, it didn’t have to end, as we still connect over social media and during webinars.
It is these friends I think of when I am hosting a chapter meeting or planning out an event budget, because their contagious enthusiasm and love for the Academy that they have shared truly inspires me. And they were with me in spirit when I took to the stage on that September night.
Karishma Patel is a third-year PharmD candidate at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy.