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I have written and recorded a number of episodes of the Let's Pharmonize podcast at the Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy. Let's Pharmonize is a podcast that covers all interesting things related to pharmacy. Each episode I recorded required me to do independent research on the topic I chose, and to be able to present on the topic for a preferable minimum of 20 minutes. Topics I have personally covered include the pharmacodynamics of the fictional drug Valkyr, research chemicals, and gas station erectile dysfunction supplements.  

In May of 2019 I received my BS in biology from Wingate University.

I received my diploma from East Gaston High School in June of 2015.

From May of 2018 to August of 2020 I served as the assistant property manager for a petting zoo/farm/animal rescue called Whispering Hope Farm. My duties included animal medical care as well as general animal care, animal handling, animal transport to birthday parties/events, supervision of guests at on and offsite events, managing volunteers, grounds maintenance, rent collecton from tenants, pig socialization, pig adoption coordination, and general grounds maintenance. 

I worked for Discovery Place as a public expereiences presenter for a month (I was laid off when the museum shut down as a result of the novel coronavirus) in 2020. My duties included helping guests navigate the museum, explaining exhibits to guests, and cleanup of exhibit areas. 

From January 2016 to May 2019 I was employed as a teaching lab assistant y the Wingate University biology deoartment. To be employed in this capacity a student had to be recommended by both their lecture and lab professor in the course. My duties included setting up laboratory equipment, interpreting laboratory results (spectrometry, paper chromatography, column chromatography, etc.) arrcanging data into interpretable form, answering student questions, grading student assessments, troubleshooting lab equipment, cleanup of lab equipment following use, and assisting in inventory of lab supplies.

I would like to have a job offer waiting for me when I receive my doctorate and am licensed.

I would like to get through my PharmD program having never received a C as a final grade for a course.

I was initially awarded the Irwin Belk Scholarship by Wingate University for having a high school GPA of 4.2, thereafter in undergrad I maintained each year by keeping my GPA at or above 3.0.

I was placed on the Dean's list for 5 of my 8 semesters in Undergraduate education.

In June the second, 2015 I earned my Eagle scout having been a boy scout for eight years. The award was given based on the completion of leadership service within the troop, earning of prerequisite merit badges, and the planning/completion of a service project.

Counselling and the pharmacy puzzle solving that is MTM are perhaps my most prominent areas of professional interest. I've relished all of my standardized client practice and find a great satisfaction in figuring out the best way to counsel a patient on the use of their medication. The involvement of a pharmacist is the missing piece in a lot of healthcare interactions, as not understanding a medicine/its use renders that medicine useless to the patient. For example, some studies quote that patients make at least one mistake in their inhaler usage 70-90% of the time; think of all the emergency room visits as a result of pulmonary condition exacerbations if patients simply had some time with their pharmacist to get to know their medicine? 

Medication therapy management is a practice I am sure I would like to participate in over the course of my future career in pharmacy. I believe that proper scrutiny of medication regimens by pharmacists could end many a prescribing cascade, avert much human suffering, and result in vast financial savings for patients. In addition, medication therapy management sounds like an incredibly enjoyable pursuit, problem solving of this type has definitely been one of my greatest pleasures in the exercises I've undertaken in pharmacy school so far.

Ultimately, communications, whether spoken or otherwise, are the bread and butter of a number of professions, including pharmacy. Thence, I've always found the formation of drug names, both generic and trade to be of interest. The sound of a word can change a lot about how it is perceived, after all.

The fact that there are chemicals so powerfully pleasurable that they will make a person ostensibly abandon their whole life is something I've always found very interesting. How precisely (not the general mechanism of action) they exert their euphoric effects is what most interests me in this field, for through an understanding of this we can learn much about human drive and motivation. Further, substance abuse treatment whether it be pharmacological (methadone, ibogaine, buprenorphine etc.) or behavioral is of interest to me because of its multifaceted nature and the huge amount of discipline, compassion, fortitude, and communications skill that carrying it out requires. 

Reading is something I enjoy a great deal. I'm especially fond of the Russian philosophical authors (Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Turgenev).

I enjoy calligraphic writing, particularly in Gothic style, as well as making my own iron gall ink.

I have shadowed and participated in laboratory work with a faculty member. The research regard the production of partial dopamine agonists for the treatment of cocaine use disorder. As a result of this engagement I have had exposure to the use of CombiFlash machines.

Speaking has always been something I've enjoyed and I consider myself to be a very effective communicator

I have worked as a volunteer with Gaston Family Health Services in their medication assistance program as a volunteer on and off in the Summer of 2019

Duties:

• Obtain medications for patients through manufacturer assistance programs
• Communicate with medications manufacturer representatives
• Maintain patient confidentiality
• Verify patient information/ medication orders