Pharmacy students receive scholarships

A record number of professional student pharmacists at the Texas A&M Health Science Center Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy applied for scholarships this academic year and several were awarded this week from various donors. The students earned the scholarships based on the basis of their scholastic record, contributions to their community, and other pertinent criteria.

First-year professional student pharmacists Sasha Cruz and Jeffrey Moran both of San Antonio, Texas, received a $1,000 Bexar County Pharmacy Endowed Scholarship. Jose Garcia of Kingsville, Texas, and Ruth Gonzalez of Eagle Pass, Texas, both second-year profession student pharmacists, and Brittany Bateman of Boerne, Texas, and Pamela Bosse of Sugar Land, Texas, third-year professional student pharmacists, each received a $1,000 Scholarship from the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust.

“I am honored to have received this scholarship. I have worked for CVS since 2004,” Bosse said. “It took me longer than most people to realize that pharmacy is what I am meant to do, but since then, I have given 120 percent effort in my studies. I am very thankful that CVS supports students as they are learning to become pharmacists.”

Fourth-year profession student pharmacists received scholarships. Rocio Olmedo of Laredo, Texas, was awarded the $1,000 D.D. Hachar Trust and the Lamar-Bruni Vergara Endowed Scholarship and Divya Manavalan of Houston, Texas, received the George Family Educational Scholarship. Rachel Musgrove of Sweetwater, Texas, received a $1,500 scholarship from the P.M. Rangel Family Scholarship Fund.

Second-year professional student pharmacist Ann Nguyen of Dallas, Texas, third-year professional student pharmacist Amanda Fuentes of Corpus Christi, Texas, and fourth-year professional student pharmacist Purvi Patel of Hamilton, Texas, each received a $1,000 Walgreens Diversity Scholarship.

First-year professional student pharmacist Monica Partida of Edinburg, Texas, received the $2,000 Walgreens Diversity and Inclusion Excellence Scholarship. Second-year professional student pharmacist Elizabeth Nkwocha of Houston, Texas, received the $1,000 Tarrant County Pharmacy Association Endowed Scholarship and the recipient of the Moore’s Pharmacy Inc./Texas Pharmacy Foundation Endowed Scholarship was third-year professional student pharmacist Katie Taylor of Menard, Texas.

“I am very grateful for being selected to receive the award,” Nkwocha said. “I know there were other qualified candidates, so being chosen is very gratifying.  This scholarship will ensure that the high level of education provided by Texas A&M Rangel College of Pharmacy is adequately funded. This will help achieve my goal of making a positive, direct impact on the community that I will serve in the near future.”