It was a cold, rainy evening when I visited my friend Cindy at the hospital. Her room was dark with a tiny strip of light coming in from the slightly open door. Her head was down and when she raised it, I gasped in shock because her eyes were swollen and could barely open, the skin on her face was very dark, her lips were swollen, her tongue hanging out. Then, l looked at her skin and noticed thick layers falling off. Oh my God! It was a sad sight. I started crying and stepped out of the room. 

Cindy died 2 days later. Everyone in the community had something to say about it; some said her father sold her to a cult to become rich, while others said it must be witchcraft, they had never seen or heard of anything like that before. What really happened to Cindy?   

I come from a town called Bamenda in Cameroon, a country in West Africa. My four siblings and I lived a modest life, with both of our parents being elementary school teachers. Even though my parents did not have a lot of money, they made sacrifices to send us to the best and most prestigious boarding schools in my town, where I had met Cindy. When I graduated from high school, very few career options were available: physician, engineer, or teacher. Getting into medical school, which was my passion, was hard and expensive, so I decided to become a biology teacher. Then I met my future husband, Atim. He had family in America I and always dreamed of living there one day—he made me think of the possibility.

What a year it has been for APhA–ASP! We kicked things off with a memorable 50th anniversary celebration at APhA2019 in Seattle. Then on social media and through multiple articles, we learned of the numerous ways that student pharmacists across the country are living their “Fearlessly Authentic” lives. Following a meaningful Summer Leadership Institute and eight incredible Midyear Regional Meetings, we come to the latest momentous 2019–20 occasion: the long-awaited redesign of one of your favorite membership benefits, Student Pharmacist!

As Editor and a long-time employee at APhA, I have a sense of personal pride in delivering this revamped publication to you. I have thought about this magazine makeover for years and spent many hours planning the new look and content. But of course, I could not have gotten to this point alone, right? That is why my colleague Crystal Atwell’s, PharmD, cover story (see pages 12–13) is so on point. It’s all about the team.

Emergency medical services (EMS) fill the gap between home and hospital health care and are a critical but underappreciated part of the U.S. health care system. Today, EMS is a dynamic field of prehospital care with an ever-expanding scope of practice. As a student pharmacist who is also a certified emergency medical technician (EMT–B), I recognize the unmet need for pharmacist-provided patient care within EMS.

As I stepped up behind my fellow Patel classmate, I could see her head slightly turn as she glanced over into the crowd to smile at her family. Then suddenly she was gone, halfway across the stage.

What’s that thumping sound? Why are my hands so sweaty? My heart was fluttering and pounding in my chest as I stepped up onto the stage and handed my little flashcard over to the dean of student affairs. “Karishma P Patel, PharmD,” it read. I looked at the two feet outlines on the ground right in front of the “hooders” (the professors we had elected to bestow us with the honor of our doctoral hoods). Hmm, must be a 7 or 8 feet walk to the center stage. I can do this. Deep breath in This is it. This is my moment.