This year’s fourth annual Career Expo was another immense success! The event, held on Friday, February 4, featured 54 exhibitors and 72 individual mentoring sessions. More than 300 students took part in the expo and had the opportunity to talk with alumni and industry leaders from a wide array of pharmacy fields including academia, ambulatory care, association management, community pharmacy, department of corrections, hospital, industry, infusion services, poison center, technology, and telehealth.
Exhibitors were not just from South Carolina; there was representation from across the U.S., including Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.
I hope that the students who met with me feel excited about the various avenues which they can pursue with their Pharm.D. and know that it is important to be open to new opportunities, even when it may not be a part of their original career plan.
J. Lynn Bass, ’96 is senior director of medical sciences at Medexus Pharmaceuticals. Her goal was to expand students’ knowledge about potential career opportunities and encourage them to be open to new careers beyond clinical and retail pharmacy.
“I enjoyed sharing a little of my 23-year pharmaceutical industry career in Medical Affairs with the P1/P2 students,” she says. “While at Carolina, I never would have imagined the career I have today as a senior director of a national group of medical science directors. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity and look forward to participating in similar venues in the future.”
Heather Hembree, ‘20, a health outcomes pharmacist at CenterWell within Walgreens, feels that alumni can provide much insight to aid current pharmacy students in making career decisions and open the door for mutually beneficial connections by taking part in events such as the Career Expo.
“I hope that the students who met with me feel excited about the various avenues which they can pursue with their Pharm.D. and know that it is important to be open to new opportunities, even when it may not be a part of their original career plan,” Hembree says.
For second-year student pharmacist Hanson Hudgens, the Career Expo was an eye-opening experience.
“It is incredible see how there are so many pathways one can take to give back to their community,” Hudgens says. “It is a great way to hear first-hand about the amazing opportunities one can have in the pharmacy profession. My favorite part about the Gamecock Expo was hearing about each person’s journey in becoming a successful pharmacist. It encourages me every day to do my best both in school and in my community so that one day I can follow in their footsteps.”
If you would like to know more about sharing your professional experiences during next year’s Career Expo, contact Associate Director of Development and Alumni Engagement Sarah Sipes at sosipes@cop.sc.edu.
Topics: Support the College, Alumni Programs