Name: Sonya Alfano
Cohort: P1-A [The 1st year of the 5-Year PharmD Pathway]
Hometown: Wall, New Jersey
Q. Are you currently employed? If yes, where do you work and what is your position?
Yes, I am a Pharmacy Intern at both CVS Pharmacy and Legacy Health.
Q. Approximately how many hours per week are you able to work while attending the 5-Year PharmD pathway on campus?
Roughly 30 hours a week.
Q. What is your educational background?
I went to a local community college for completion of pre-requisites, transferred to Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ to pursue my BS in Chemistry with a Concentration in Biochemistry, then came to Pacific!
Q. What inspired you to pursue a career in pharmacy?
I chose pharmacy as a career path originally due to being strong in the sciences in undergrad and knowing I wanted to work in healthcare, but I did not want to be a nurse/some other super hands-on role. I then started working for Rite Aid Pharmacy in 2015 and fell in love with how much I learned every day about medications themselves, but also how much I learned about patient/people interactions and how to provide the best care I could. I really realized this was for me when I was promoted in August of 2020 to a higher up role within Rite Aid and got to meet numerous pharmacists and technicians across multiple states, and got to experience their insights and knowledge during a crazy time in the world. I have made some lifelong friends and colleagues that have contributed to helping me and my future, uplifting me when times are hard, and truly encourage me to be the best future pharmacists I can be.
Q. Why did you choose °ÅÀÖÊÓƵ School of Pharmacy?
I felt that if the school launched a 5-year pathway, they truly cared about the well-being of their students, and also understood that many students face educational barriers due to having outside-of-school responsibilities. This understanding and care encouraged me to apply, and when I interviewed, even though it was over Zoom, I could tell that those I spoke to were passionate about student well-being and success.
Q. What has been your favorite experience so far as a pharmacy student?
The challenge of pharmacy school. I feel well-supported and that professors actually know my name and would notice if I were not in class for an extended period of time. The obvious difficulties of pharmacy school are there, but I feel like everyone is rooting for me.
Q. What do you enjoy doing outside of pharmacy school?
I watch a lot of cooking videos on YouTube! (Mythical Kitchen, Binging with Babish, Nick DiGiovanni, etc.) I love applying what I have learned, and I feel that these types of videos are easier to apply to real life than some things I'm learning in pharmacy school, so it's validating that I'm learning and using these new skills. I will say though, my friend did ask me the other day how the drug diazepam works, and we had just learned about that, so that was a cool teaching moment.
I also have and additionally work for doing concert photography - it's nice to have a break from pharmacy pharmacy pharmacy and to get to use the creative side of my brain.
Q. What advice would you give to prospective or incoming pharmacy students?
Ask ALL the questions. Don't think you are interrupting, being annoying, whatever else the mean voice in your head may be saying. There's obviously a balance of relevant questions and irrelevant ones, but generally I appreciate it when someone in class asks something because sometimes the professor will explain something in a different light, which may help me understand a topic better, or maybe there's a linkage to a real-life scenario I have seen in my pharmacy jobs and that causes a lightbulb moment. Also, if you're finding something is unclear, someone else probably feels the same way!
Q. Looking ahead, what career goals or interests are you considering after graduation?
I'm not 100% sure on my future path yet - I have a few career ideas bouncing in my head. But, I feel confident, even as a P1-A, that I will figure it out and I have the unconditional support of my peers and professors at Pacific as I work toward whatever path is best for me.
-Written by:
Brandon Nuziale, PharmD, RPh, BCACP | Assistant Dean for Student Affairs & Associate Professor | School of Pharmacy