In February, the University of Wisconsin (UW)–Madison School of Pharmacy held its first ever Community Service Challenge (CSC), a competition between teams of 2 to 4 people to log the most community service hours in 1 month. The idea was conceptualized by a group of second- and third-year student pharmacists as an event to engage all student organizations and help volunteers develop their leadership, communication, and teamwork skills through community service.

"Tzeva Adom, Tzeva Adom” blares over the loud speakers across the whole city. Men, women, and children have 15 seconds to run to the nearest bomb shelter before a bomb hits. The ones that cannot make it to the shelters lie down on the ground, hands over their head, praying the missiles do not hit them. Fifteen seconds after the first “Tzeva Adom (Code Red)” warning, the missile goes off and smoke fills the city. 

This was reality in Sderot, a small city in southern Israel, situated within half a mile of the Gaza Strip. Sderot, known as the “Bomb Shelter Capital of the World,” became a city in Israel in 1996. During this time, a large immigration wave from the former Soviet Union populated the city.

When I got into pharmacy school at the University of Cincinnati James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy in 2016, the last thing I imagined was getting involved in politics. I always enjoyed the sciences and pharmacy because they were on the opposite spectrum from politics. Then I got into pharmacy school, and my attitude shifted.

I started to see how my scope of practice can change with an introduction of a bill. It could be a change for the better, pushing pharmacy forward, or change to push the profession back. How could I practice pharmacy the way I planned if my career is in the hands of someone in political office? I could not stand by and let others make decisions on something they have no experience in. If pharmacists don’t take charge of the profession, then who will?

It all started with joining APhA–ASP and going on my first visit with a legislator.