I will never forget the first assignment I was given as a high school student. On the first day of school our Freshman English teacher asked us to write a one page paper describing what we would like to do when we grow up. I will admit, I was not happy about getting homework on the first day, but it didn’t take me long to find inspiration. The title of my paper: “Life as a Pharmacist”. Throughout my life I have been blessed with the opportunity to watch and learn from a practicing pharmacist, my father.
When I wrote that paper as a freshman in high school, I knew very little about the details of my father’s occupation or the amount of work it took for him to get there. What I did know is that he enjoyed his job and enjoyed providing a much needed service to others. I can remember following my dad around in various assisted living facilities as he reviewed patient’s medication regimens. Even as a young child I could recognize that he was making a difference and people appreciated his help. I like to think this is where my passion for public service began.
As much as my father has influenced my career path, I have to give a great deal of credit to my mother for reinforcing my desire to serve others. For as long as I can remember my mom has been an advocate for community service. In addition to her career as an accountant, my mom is a lead member of the St. Vincent de Paul charitable society in Louisville. Ever since I could lift a canned good, my mom has had me helping out with numerous charity events through our church. Whether it is a clothing drive, organizing Christmas baskets, or delivering bread to the downtown soup kitchen, my mom makes it a point to get our family involved in the community.
I am now approaching the finish line in my academic career and I realize that I never would have made it this far had it not been for the basic principles my parents instilled in me. I chose this profession because I want to make an impact. I want to enjoy that proud, warm feeling you get when you help a person in need. This feeling is priceless and in becoming a pharmacist I look forward to the opportunity to feel this way every day I go to work. I believe that this is also the reason that I am very interested in doing a rotation in Costa Rica.
My interest in studying abroad began as an undergraduate student at the University of Kentucky. I looked into many different opportunities, but I never found a good fit for my educational purposes. After learning about the Costa Rica APPE rotation, I feel that I have found the right opportunity for me.
One aspect of the rotation that appealed to me was the opportunity to learn another language. I have taken Spanish courses in the past and did very well; I was a quick learner and strong in pronunciation. Admittedly, a large amount of my Spanish knowledge has been forced out by years of pre-pharmacy and pharmacy coursework. However, I feel that this rotation would provide me with a great opportunity to quickly relearn the language and apply it in practice. While this invaluable skill would be essential in Costa Rica, I know that it would benefit me anywhere I decide to work. I have been working as an intern in retail pharmacy for almost three years now and I have already witnessed countless encounters with patients where a language barrier