involved, volunteer

Josiah Land is a third-year pharmacy student from Lake Charles.

I chose to attend ULM because I have had the pleasure of working with and getting to know several ULM College of Pharmacy graduates. The ULM College of Pharmacy definitely has a reputation for producing quality pharmacy practitioners.

I currently serve as Chapter President of the American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists and Vice-President of Phi Lambda Sigma. I am also a member of the Pharmacy Student Council, Pharmacy Alumni Liaisons, and Louisiana Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists. I also volunteer once a month with the children's ministry at my church. I have worked part-time for Walgreens Pharmacy since 2004. Working at Walgreens is part of the reason I decided to attend pharmacy school.

I love the clinical aspect of pharmacy and feel that knowledge I am obtaining at ULM will allow me to be an effective practitioner in the future. I plan to work in a children's hospital and specialize in oncology/hematology. I have a big heart for pediatric cancer patients and would love to use my skills to effectively manage their treatment regimens.  

I also plan to have continual involvement in professional organizations related to my profession. I want to help spread the message that pharmacists can do so much more than count pills. We are medication experts and are quite capable of improving a patient's disease state management, improving public health by administering immunizations, and ensuring that patients we interact with are taking the most effective medications at the correct dose to improve their outcomes.

My favorite spot on campus has to be Starbucks. When I found out I was moving to Monroe and heard there was a Starbucks on campus, I knew I was making the right choice. I tend to be fairly productive with a little background music and good cup of coffee. 

One of my favorite professors at ULM is Dr. Michelle Zagar.  She has a great work ethic and is very thorough in all she does. I know that her work with local senior citizens has definitely improved their quality of life related to their disease states. She also did a great job of helping us learn the very confusing Medicare system. I also had the opportunity of serving with her on the College of Pharmacy's Curriculum Committee as student member. Dr. Zagar is truly interested in the welfare of students and does her best to listen and improve our experience in pharmacy school.  I know that I can bring any problem I have to her, and she will do her best to find a solution.

Some of my favorite ULM memories stem from the different events we have at the College of Pharmacy. We are like a big family, and I love getting together for crawfish boils, tailgating, and finals pancake dinners.

I have definitely had the opportunity to grow as a person and develop not only my professional skills, but also my interpersonal skills. ULM provides many opportunities to be involved on campus in my area of study. This has helped me learn to multi-task, think critically, and work effectively with different personality types. I have also had the opportunity to develop many leadership skills that will be important in my future career. 

One thing most people do not know about me is that I have an odd obsession when eating french fries. Before I eat the french fry, I decide which end of it looks better, then I bite it and leave the less attractive end on the plate. If you ever see me at a fast food restaurant, there will probably be a tray full of french fry pieces in front of me. It's weird, I know.