Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am 19-years-old and I was adopted by my aunt and uncle. I also have bad dyslexia, which can make things challenging. When I was younger, I played on a national volleyball team. At 18, I became the manager of a Chick-fil-A. I originally started working there when I was 16.
When did you decide to pursue a career in Pharmacy Technology?
I originally wanted to be a paramedic but I discovered the Pharmacy Technology program on the Carrington website and was really interested, so I decided to apply. This was soon after graduating in May 2020. My mom had been urging me to look for a career path.
How has the COVID19 pandemic affected your education?
I had to do the last part of my senior year of high school from home due to COVID. My class missed out on prom and graduation. We missed out on making our senior year memories.
What was your favorite part of your program at Carrington?
I loved the labs and everything hands-on. So, compounding and sterile compounding were my favorites. Compounding is a lot of fun.
What was the most challenging part of your program?
The most challenging part was still having to work full-time while in school. It was not the easiest thing to do. While on extern, I would work at the Walgreens pharmacy on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Then I would keep a consistent 40-hour-week at Chick-fil-A on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. So, I had to work every single day.
Did you ever want to quit when you were in school?
I did, but at the same time with both my job and school I knew I just had to get through it. And since I do have the responsibility of a manager, I knew I had to keep that responsibility. But I also really wanted to finish school. Being a manager has made me more responsible and it’ll help me in the future. I am so young but I have that experience.
What got you through the hard times?
I would say my family helped out a lot. My parents and all my brothers and sisters encouraged me to keep going. I definitely have a supportive family.
Is there a Carrington instructor or staff member who you would like to acknowledge?
I really liked our instructor Sierra. Sierra helped me a lot and helped me get through a lot of things. She would help me balance work with school. All of Carrington was very understanding when I couldn’t do the full 40 hours at the pharmacy because I have the other responsibility of working full-time at Chick-fil-A. They worked with me very well, which helped a lot.
Tell us about your current work
I am working part-time at a Walgreens pharmacy and I really like it. It’s the same place as where I did my externship and I like the people there. They could only start me part-time right now, so I am still working at Chick-fil-A at the moment but I hope to get on with them full-time soon. I’ll mostly be doing pill counting and customer service.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
I really like learning about the new medications. It’s crazy because you continue to learn so many more even after school! It’s also interesting how with some medications you can’t eat certain things because of side effects. I never knew that before I started school.
How did Carrington prepare you for your career?
I think they did a really good job. Sierra was straightforward and honest about how things were going to be. That helped a lot.
Do you have any advice for people interested in enrolling in the Pharmacy Technology program and entering your field?
I think my only advice is to be ready to do a lot of hard work. You’re definitely going to get stressed, but just know that even if it feels hard, you’re going to get through it. There are going to be days when it’s really hard and you want to give up, but it’s worth it in the end to just push yourself and finish the program.
