My name is Gabriella Lugo. I am a hardworking, responsible, persistent person. I am a high school graduate, I know intermediate Spanish, and I work extremely well with others. I hope to one day work as a pharmacist so I can share my gifts with others and give them better outcomes in their lives.

I decided to pursue pharmacy because of my aunt who lost her leg due to diabetes. I strive to give other people excellent care to prevent them from having the same fate. 

I want to become a pharmacist because I want to give proper treatment to patients to prevent them from losing limbs or any of their senses. I have seen the effects that losing these things can have on someone, and I want to prevent that from happening to anyone.

My vision for pharmacy practice is working with other health care workers, like doctors, physicians, and nurses in a hospital setting, to give people the most performative care plan. 

My goals are to work in a hospital pharmacy setting, to provide the best experience possible for my patients, and to keep serving my community in any way I can. I plan on achieving these by obtaining a pharmacy internship, continuing to develop empathy, and work on my public speaking skills.

Being a pharmacist is important to me because it not only allows me to work with other people, but it also helps me serve my community in a way that could positively impact many people. 

 My positive attributes are that I am hardworking, compassionate, selfless, empathetic, persistent, and responsible.

PHS 3504 APPLIED HUMAN ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY 

- Learned about the human body and its functions.

PHS 2301 BIOMEDICAL LABORATORY I

- Learned about physical aspects of biochemistry and cellular biology.

PHS 2201 BIOPHARMACEUTICAL CHEMISTRY 

- Learned about biochemical processes and their application to pharmaceuticals. 

HON 2010C PHILOSOPHY METAPHYSICS 

- Learned about metaphysics and its application to life.

PAS 2201 INTRO TO PHARMACOECONOMICS

- Learned about the economy and its relation to healthcare.

PHS 2101 PUBLIC HEALTH FOR THE PHARM.D.  

- Learned about epidemiology and government agencies dedicated to public health.

CHE 1130 INTRO TO GENERAL & ORGANIC CHEMISTRY III

- Learned more aspects of organic chemistry

- Learned their applications to biochemistry 

THE 3300 MORAL THEOLOGY OF HEALTHCARE

- Learned about healthcare theology and its applications to moral and ethical situations

HON 1070 FUNDAMENTALS OF BIOLOGY II 

- Learned about microbiology and various aspects of cellular systems and their functions.

RCT 1005C INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS FOR PHARMACY

- Learned how to communicate with others in a healthcare/patient setting.

PAS 2301 SOCIAL ASPECTS OF PHARMACY PRACTICE 

- Learned about statistics related to pharmacy practice.

- Learned about the role of pharmacists in society.

PHI 2240C MORAL LIFE-ETHICAL HEALTHCARE 

• Learned about philosophical ideologies and their applications to healthcare and ethics.

CHE 1120 INTRO TO GENERAL & ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II

- Learned more aspects of advanced chemistry

- Learned aspects of organic chemistry

CPP 1101 INTRO TO PHARMACY PRACTICE

- Learned medical terminology

- Learned about aspects of different pharmacy practices and their contributions

HON 1010C HONORS CORE:PHILOSOPHY-HUMAN PERSON

- Learned about different philosophical ideologies 

- Learned how to apply specific ideologies to present day

HON 1030C HONORS CORE:ENGLISH COMPOSITION

- Learned about different cultural aspects and norms

- Learned about the effects of culture on people

HON 2430 CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING

- Learned about Catholic morality

MTH 1260C CORE:CALCULUS APPLIED-PHARMACY & ALLIED HEALTH

- Learned about aspects of calculus and its applications to health fields

CHE 1110 INTRO TO GENERAL & ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

- Learned about the properties of advanced chemistry

- Learned about chemical reactions and chemical processes through laboratory exercises.

DNY 1000C DISCOVER NEW YORK: CATHOLIC LEADERSHIP

- Learned about the things that affect population being served

- Made a social media for the support of sexual assault victims.

HON 2150C HONORS:GLOBAL LITERATURE

- Learned about literature from around the world

- Leaned about different cultural aspects

MTH 1250C CORE:STAT APPLIED -PHARMACY /ALLIED HEALTH

- Learned aspects of statistics and population and its applications to health

PHR 1000 INTRO SEMINAR FOR PHARMACY STUDENTS

- Learned moral values and ideas about pharmacy practice 

THE 1000C CORE: PERSPECTIVES ON CHRISTIANITY

- Learned history of Christianity as well as aspects of other religions

SPA 2030C CORE:SPANISH LEVEL III

- Learned aspects of Spanish language and culture

- Mastered Intermediate Spanish

Location: Queens, NY 11439

Started: August 2020

Expected Graduation: May 2026

Enrolled in the 6 Year Pharmacy Program (Pharm D. Candidate)

Location: Briarwood, NY 11435

Attended: September 2016 to May 2020

Graduated in: May 2020

Recieved a High School Diploma

Received a Regents High School Diploma

Winter 2021

Location: 158-02 Union Tpike

Position: Pharmacy Technitian/Pharmacy Intern

- Assist with ordering refills for prescriptions

- Dispensing medication to customers

- Retrieve and alphabetize medications

Summer 2019 - Present

Location: John Bowne High School

Position: Camp Administrative Assistant

- Managed campers’ information 

- Assisted in the hiring of campers

Summer 2018

Location: Queens Community House

Position: Camp Counselor

- Supervised campers

- Assisted with summer camp activities

Spring 2018, Summer 2018, Fall 2018

Location: New York Hall of Science

Position: NYSCI Explainer TV Associate Producer

- Learning digital media production that focuses of the Explainers, Science, and NYSCI.

- Training to engage the NYSCI’s visitors in creative STEM learning, work with the pre-K to 8th-grade students and participate in career development workshops and networking events.

I believe that no person should have to struggle to get the medication they need to survive. In my lifetime, I have come across many people who have shared their stories about not being able to afford medication. In these stories, people have had to surrender their rights to food, shelter, and/or items just so they could continue living, and especially in this time of COVID19, people have been unable to get their needed medication due to shortages, have been unable to afford medication due to job losses, and have been unable to leave their homes to collect their medication. I believe that medication is a human right, because it gives people the right to life, and no one deserves to suffer because of a  medication need.

5 years

- To obtain an internship in pharmacy practice

- To shadow someone currently in pharmacy practice

- To obtain the knowledge and experience for pharmacy through classes and practice

10 years

- To give patients the right treatment to avoid any injuries

- To educate people about specific medications

- To create a safe medical environment for patients

15 years

- To become a manager in my pharmacy community

- To be able to work with and support the elderly and children

- To work with other healthcare professionals provide an overall better health outcome for patients

5 years

- To continue develop emotional intelligence.

- To acheive a 4.0 GPA

-To continue to volunteer once COVID19 subsides. 

10 years

- To get married

- To have children

-To develop a proper and healthy mindset

15 years

- To be financially stable

- To be there for my family and support them

- To make time for volunteering

Year of Induction: 2020

Year of Induction: 2020

Sponsor: St John's University

Received in 2020

Description: Given to confirmed students who have shown a dedication for their faith and volunteer work.

Received in Fall 2020

Sponsor: Archbishop Molloy High School

Received in 2020 in Second Quarter

Description: Given to students who achieved a 99 or higher average. 

Sponsor: Archbishop Molloy High School

Achieved in 2019 in first, second, and fourth quarter and 2020 In first and third quarter.

Description: Given to students who achieved an overall average of 95-98.99

Sponsor: Archbishop Molloy High School

Achieved in 2017 in fourth quarter; 2018 in first, second, and third quarter ; 2019 in third quarter.

Description: Given to students who achieve an average of 93-94.99

Sponsor: Holy Family Catholic Academy

Received in 2016

Description: Given to students who have shown excellence in their studies as well as obtained a 93 or higher average.

Sponsor: Holy Family Catholic Academy

Received in 2016 

Description: Given to students who have shown excellence in their studies and obtained a 96 or higher average.

Completed in December 2019

- Hosted a hygiene drive at The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Soup Kitchen. 

- Raised money through donations to obtain hygiene products. 

- Gave toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, and other hygenic supplies to patrons at the soup kitchen.

I see this as an acomplishment because I was able to provide people with hygenic products to take care of their health. Good and proper hygiene is one of the best ways to prevent against diseases, both inside and out, so helping people by preventing them from being subjected to these diseases means a lot to me. Knowing that I saved more than thirty people from possibly becoming ill, makes me feel so happy.  

My top 5 strengths are:

Learner

Individualization

Analytical

Responsibility

Self-Assurance

The thing that surprised me about my strengths is how well they complemented each other. Compared to my self-evaluation, I was also surprised by the assessment of the self-assurance strength. I am very confident in my abilities but according to the assessment, self-assurance includes confidence in your judgement as well as your abilities. The other strengths, however, were accurate representations.

The Strenghstfinder reference the link between learning and performance. The learning process is integral to training to be an effective pharmacist. I plan to use the learner strength to engage in my training during my academic experience as well as to continually learn, in my role as a pharmacist, about my responsibility to medicine and about my relationship with patients.

The individualization strength will be very useful since each patient will have distinct and unique requirements. In addition, the individualization strength will be very important to establishing relationships with my colleagues and understanding how to build more effective working relationships.

The analytical strength highlights logical thinking and data driven decisions. I am interested in Clinical Pharmacy, so I plan to use this strength to make data driven decision in directing patient care and promoting disease prevention. 

The responsibility strength highlights personal accountability which will be useful for me in assessing whether I am right for a role, taking ownership of my role and understanding my responsibility to patients.

Finally, I intend to use the self-assurance strength by building on my self-confidence and increasing my confidence in my judgements. During my academic and practical training, I hope to continue to build on my self-assurance strength so that I am as confident in my judgements - be open to new ideas but be confident enough to formulate conclusion and make decisions.

In summary, I intend to continue to build on my strengths and use these strengths to achieve my goal of being a knowledgeable, approachable, kind and compassionate pharmacist. 

Describe In your own words, what is a pharmacist?

A pharmacist is someone in the medical field who manages dosing, production, informing, and distributing of medication.

Why did you personally choose pharmacy as your major?

I chose pharmacy because of my aunt. Initially, I wanted to go into law, but during a family vacation I visited my aunt, who is diabetic and recently lost her leg due to misusing insulin. This motivated me to become a pharmacist because I want people to be well informed about the medications they’re using so they don't suffer the same fate.

Why did you choose to study pharmacy here at St. John’s University?

I chose St. John’s University to study pharmacy because many pharmacists I know went to study at St. John’s University, and they recommended it to me after telling them my career path. I also chose St. John’s University for its academics, as my mother and aunt both attended and still remain knowledge of their subjects to this day.

Volunteer at different events through St. Thomas More Church including:

Kids on Campus

Midnight Run

Homeless Hygiene Drive

September 2020 to Present 

Hours Served: around 32

- Weekly readings at masses 

- Weekly distribution of Holy Eucharist to members of the Church.

This experience has reimbursed my religious beliefs, practices, and faith. It also allows me to serve not only the people in my community, but God as well.

March 2019-Present 

Hours Served: around 40 

- Weekly distribution of Holy Eucharist to members of the Church.

- Weekly distribution of Holy Eucharist to memebers unable to leave their homes.

This experience has reimbursed my religious beliefs, practices, and faith. It also allows me to serve not only the people in my community, but God as well.

September 2019-March 2020

Hours Served: around 27 hours

- Assisted in the preparation of hot and cold food, drinks, and desserts. 

- Assisted in the distribution of food, drinks, and clothing to patrons. 

From this experience I expanded my communication skills in both english and spanish, and I learned about the effects of food insecurity on people's lives. 

From 2017-2018

Hours Served: 2 hours

- Assisted in the preparation of clothing and sandwiches to give to patrons.

This was one of my first volunteer experiences and it caused me to fall in love with volunteering. It showed me just how a little bit of my time can help others in many different ways.