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Posts Tagged ‘Doctoral Convocation Hooding and Awards Ceremony’

Congratulations to Doctors Kelly Hawk, Matt Byrdy, Anna Gehres, and Jimmy Byun!

On Saturday, June 11, Joe and I attended the Doctoral Convocation Hooding and Awards Ceremony for The Ohio State University’s College of Pharmacy in Mershon Auditorium. We had four students who were graduating and receiving their pharmacy degrees, including our own Kelly, who has worked at Plain City Druggist since 2005.

Besides Kelly, we also had three students, Anna Gehres, Matt Byrdy, and Jimmy Byun, do rotations in the store this past year and they also received their PharmD degrees.

Matt and Kelly had asked Joe to place their hoods on them, officially making them Doctors of Pharmacy. This is a very big honor and Joe was a bit nervous about performing the task–especially for Matt, who is much taller than Joe. Even standing on a wooden box, Joe had a hard time getting Matt’s hood over his head and the whole audience was laughing by the time they were done. Kelly’s was a bit easier to do, since Joe didn’t have to reach so high!

Anna Gehres received the Stephen W. Birdwell Student Award, which is given to a student by the student class for their participation, interaction with class mates, professionalism, and general outgoing nature–Andy Hall, our former student, received the award last year. This award is given in honor of a former professor in the College of Pharmacy who died several years ago. Dr. Birdwell was well loved and very respected by the students and faculty in the pharmacy department. This award honors his spirit in a current graduating student–someone whose peers select them as also being well loved and respected, who will make a wonderful pharmacist, not only because of their brain power, but because of their ability to care and have compassion. That was Andy and that is definitely Anna.

Anna also received the Anne L. Burns Award (Anne Burns was the compounding instructor while Joe and I were in school and we learned all we know about compounding from her–she was a super teacher) and the College of Pharmacy Professionalism Award. Anna will be doing a year long residency at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

Matt also will be in a residency for the next year at Mount Carmel West in Columbus, while Kelly is off to St. Louis to work for Walgreen’s as a floater pharmacist (meaning she will go to whichever store she is needed in).

Jimmy, as class president, had to give the “Response from the Class of 2011.” Not surprisingly, he did a nice job with his speech, even though he was very nervous and stalled so long at the beginning, we thought he was not going to do it.

An even greater surprise was the arrival at the very end of the ceremony by Dr. Gordon Gee. He came in flanked by security and since Joe and I were standing in the back of the room, we immediately saw his arrival. He sat down in a back row of seats out of the way and then greeted each of the pharmacy students as they left. Joe wanted to get a photo, but we weren’t allowed over by him. Joe did get a faraway photo of Anna and Dr. Gee. You can see that on our Facebook page.

Finally, we had a really nice dinner with Kelly, her parents, her brother, sister-in-law, and niece. We are really going to miss Kelly. She had a rough final year of pharmacy school, but we know the future is only going to bring her lots of happiness and opportunities.

Good luck and congratulations to Kelly, Anna, Matt, and Jimmy. We are very proud to have played a small part in your education and your journey to become Doctors of Pharmacy.

To see all the photos from the hooding ceremony, visit our Facebook page HERE.

Our Former Students Are Now Doctors of Pharmacy! We Are Very Proud!

Lindsey Steichen Rice with her mom.

Yesterday, June 12, Joe and I attended the “Doctoral Convocation Hooding and Awards Ceremony” for The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy with Kelly Hawk Jackson, our current pharmacy student. Kelly will participate in this ceremony next year as a 2011 graduate, so she got a taste of what she can expect.

Three of our former pharmacy students were being “hooded’ and receiving their doctor of pharmacy degree after many, many long years of hard work. These faces will look very familiar to you, as you’ve seen all of them in the drugstore.

The first student is Lindsey Steichen Rice, who started working for us in the pharmacy shortly after she began her studies in pharmacy school. Lindsey has lots of family in Plain City, so the pharmacy allowed her to see many of them on a regular basis. Lindsey not only graduated Cum Laude (with honors), she also recently got married and moved to Washington D. C. Lindsey is going to be working in a Walgreens in the D. C. area. We wish her much luck and hope she stops in to see us when she is home visiting family.

Dr. Sarah McGinnis with Kelly.

Kelly and Sarah worked a lot of Saturdays together while they were both in pharmacy school. Because Kelly is one year behind Sarah, Sarah very kindly loaned Kelly old study materials to help her with her classes. Sarah McGinnis worked for us throughout pharmacy school until she and her husband moved to the Dayton area her fourth year, while she did her experiential rotations. Sarah graduated with highest honors, Summa Cum Laude, and was the recipient of the Merck Award. Sarah will be working in a Rite Aid in Dayton.

Are you seeing the pattern here? All of our students are the brightest, winning awards and graduating with honors.

The same can be said for our final student, Dr. Andrew Hall.

Joe and Doc Andy.

Andy also graduated Cum Laude. Additionally, Andy won the prestigious Stephen W. Birdwell Student Award. This award is in honor of a professor from the College of Pharmacy who died several years ago. Joe actually had Dr. Birdwell in school, but he was already ill by the time I arrived for classes. Dr. Birdwell was well loved and respected by the students. And this is what this award honors–a student whose peers select them as being respected and loved, someone who will be a wonderful pharmacist due to, not only their knowledge, but their ability to interact with people and make them feel good about themselves. That is definitely Doc Andy.

Andy receiving the Stephen W. Birdwell Student Award.

Since the doctor of pharmacy program did not start until Joe and I had already graduated with Bachelor degrees in Pharmacy, the hooding ceremony was all new to us. It is a very formal and lovely ceremony (if a bit long). It is also something that we know these graduates will not soon forget. Just as we will not soon forget them.

Congratulations Lindsey, Sarah, and Andy!