College of Pharmacy scholarship recipients met their donors and celebrated time together at the college’s annual Scholarship Dinner.
For the 2026-2027 academic year, donors are providing financial support to 228 Pharm.D. students and five Ph.D. students. The awards total $426,025 for Pharm.D. students while $22,000 supports Ph.D. students. The funds help ease the cost of a pharmacy education and make possible dreams that might otherwise have been out of reach.
Max Swink, Class of 2028, spoke on behalf of all scholarship recipients. He says having scholarship support has allowed him to pursue experiences beyond the classroom.
"Because of the generosity of donors, I was able to travel to Capitol Hill earlier this year, meet with members of Congress and their staff, and advocate for our profession," Swink says. "That experience made pharmacy advocacy feel real to me and showed me the importance of speaking up for both our patients and for our profession."
He adds that donor support reaches beyond any single opportunity.
"Your generosity allows students to fully engage in the opportunities that shape us into well-rounded professionals," he adds. "It also reminds us that we are part of a larger Gamecock pharmacy community, one that continues to encourage and support its students long after graduation."
Your generosity allows students to fully engage in the opportunities that shape us into well-rounded professionals,
Dean Stephen J. Cutler reminded students that the evening is about more than the awards themselves.
"You are why we do what we do, and tonight is less about the scholarship that you're receiving and more about what you're seeing from the donors that you're meeting," Cutler says. "It's about the confidence they've placed in you, and it's about your potential, your determination and the difference you are going to make in healthcare."
He also thanked the donors directly.
"Your tremendous financial support is having an impact, and it affirms to our students that they are seen, they are heard, and they are recognized for the effort they are putting in trying to shape and advance pharmacy and health care," he says.
Kathy Moore, professor, closed the evening by sharing the story of a student who was able to fulfill her dream of becoming a pharmacist because of donors' generosity to the scholarship fund, telling donors, "Your investment in their education is an investment in the future, in the patients they will serve, the communities they will strengthen, and the lives they will touch for generations to come.”