Manchester University Stories

Tom Smith, associate professor of pharmacy practice and pharmacogenomics, teaches real world concepts both in and outside the classroom. 

“What is one thing you hope students get out of your class?”

 “I try to focus on the idea that things aren’t always black and white, and that can be difficult when you’re introducing complex ideas. However, it’s important because I don’t want students to be surprised when they go into a [clinical] rotation. I want them to get real life experience, and say, ‘Oh, I guess things weren’t as easy as they seemed.’ I also want them to be able to walk out of my class and understand that there’s always something more to learn, evaluate, and to consider, because you really have to treat each person uniquely.” 

“Do you have an example of a time when a student realized this in practice?” 

“It happens a lot during their fourth-year rotation. They take my course in their second year of pharmacy school, and I try to bring in stories of what I see with patients and try to present what a true patient looks like − and I think they get it, but it’s difficult to portray through lecture. It doesn’t truly hit them until they go out on rotation, see a patient, and then they come back and say, ‘Oh, you were right! You weren’t just making it up!’ That is why we have that last year of rotations where they can learn and see that firsthand.” 

“What is the most interesting part of pharmacogenomics (PGx) to you?” 

“I think the most interesting part is that it’s not necessarily new, but it kind of is. You can go back years and years and find that we’ve known about genetics and how it relates to a drug response for a really long time. Most of what we want to do, in terms of applying it to people and getting it to where most people can access it, is still developing. It’s interesting to me that the majority of the articles we study came out this year or the previous year. There are not many textbooks that have everything we want all in one spot because there’s so much new information. What I find hopeful is that a lot of our graduates will be able to go be pioneers in this field.”

“I saw that you worked with psychiatric illness and substance abuse. How do you apply PGx to that area of interest?” 

“One of the reasons I’m involved in the PGx program is my interest in psychiatry. It is probably one of the biggest fields in pharmacogenomics. We have many drugs that treat different psychiatric illnesses, but we don’t know when it’s best to use certain drugs. So, unfortunately, a lot of it is trial and error. We do our best to try to figure out which drug may be best for you, but it’s still a guessing game. Psychiatry is an area where we’re interested in starting to use this element of medicine. If we can drill down if there is something within your genetic makeup that tells us drug X is going to work over drug Y, it’ll be a breakthrough in the medical field.

That applies to many different psychiatric illnesses – one of them could be addiction. There is a genetic link between developing certain addictions and one’s genes. If we can take that next step and observe the genetic link for treating these specific addictions, then that would be a huge game changer for millions of people who are struggling. We need to do something to treat these individuals better, and pharmacogenomics could play a role in that.”

 “How did you get interested in this field of work?” 

“I’ve always been interested in psychiatry and neurology. After I completed my pharmacy curriculum, I completed a residency in those two areas, and pharmacogenomics wasn’t a large piece of it but it was always there. When I first saw individuals get the pharmacogenomics testing done, that’s when I realized something, it’s more than just theories and things done in a lab – this is something that can directly affect an individual. So I’ve always had it in the back of my mind, and we do a little bit of it at my practice site. Having a master’s program in pharmacogenomics was something that hasn’t been done anywhere and it was a great opportunity for me to get involved and do something unique.”

 “What advice would you give to people considering PGx?” 

“If you’re someone who wants a challenge, is comfortable with not having a direct path, adaptable, enjoy taking on responsibilities, and want to be part of a change, I think the PGx program would be perfect for you. We have many individuals who have gone on to places where they didn’t have anyone with a similar program history since this program is so new. It’s kind of intimidating at first, and there is an element of the unknown with it. I think people, especially at Manchester, like that. It was the same thing with our first couple of pharmacy classes – they didn’t really know what to expect – it was a new school. they could go to somewhere that’s been established for 100 years, or they could come here where they would be the first one. We like those types of individuals, and those are the people I think we need in health care. We need people to do new things and break boundaries, and I think PGx offers that. If you’re someone who is really excited about that, you’re not going to match that in other programs.”

Jesse Langdon, a junior peace studies and political science major, from Columbus, Ind., shares how life at Manchester has given him real world experience.  

“What are you involved with on campus?”

“I’m involved in a lot of things! I’m on the executive board for the Kenapocomoco Peace Coalition, which is the peace studies club. I am the president of the Campus Interfaith Board, which does interfaith work on campus and organizes trips off campus. I’m an interfaith programmer for the Office of Religious Life, I’m on the executive board for Amnesty International Manchester chapter, I’m on two different faculty committees, including the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (UCC), which oversees all changes or additions to undergraduate course offerings. Finally, I’m on the Undergraduate Liberal Arts Curriculum Committee (LARCC). It’s a lot of work, but I’m really happy to be a part of these committees because they allow me to give a student voice to the core programs.”

“It sounds like you’re involved in a lot of different areas around campus. What has been a really rewarding experience so far at Manchester?” 

“I wrote a paper last semester about the persecution that Bahá'ís face in Iran, which has been a continuous problem. Through my research, I figured out that there isn’t really a good database for reporting the religious affiliation of migrants and refugees. Because of that, I am going to work on developing a database that the international community can use to track different religious groups. For instance, if there is a large group of Bahá'ís leaving Iran, that can be an indicator to international human rights groups, as well as the United Nations, that there is religious persecution happening in Iran. It can be used as a tool to stop human rights abuses across the world.” 

“What made you decide to get involved in religious studies?”

“Through peace studies, and my life experiences in general, I have noticed that religion has a great propensity for peace and for violence− which is something that has always interested me − how people from the same religious background can have very different interpretations of their text. So I wanted to work on the peacebuilding aspect of faith work, and I believe that interfaith work creates really strong coalitions between members of different faith backgrounds, because it highlights similarities between worldviews and celebrates the strength in differences as well.” 

“Who is a professor that has really impacted your time at Manchester?”

“Wow. There are so many, and they’re all influential in my life. I would probably say Professor Williams, who is a political science professor. I took his Political Concepts and Ideologies course my first year, and I was the only first-year in the class, so that was very intimidating− plus the fact that it was my first political science course. It really got me to realize different aspects of what political science is, and broadened my mind to the political realm. Another professor would be Professor Staudenmaier, the new history professor. I’m currently in his recent American History course, and it’s been really interesting. He’s opening our eyes to new aspects of history that I haven’t ever thought of before− and he has helped our class reframe the civil rights movement and rethink politics during the 70s and 80s, which has been super interesting to me too.”

Gabby Anglin, a communication studies and political science double-major from Columbia City, Ind., discusses her role as Student Senate president and how she strives to represent her fellow Spartans.   

“What are you involved with on campus?”

“I have been involved with Student Senate since I was a first-year and I ran for vice president after only four months in the club. I was vice president for two years, and now I’m the president my senior year. I am also involved in Students Today, Alumni Tomorrow, which is the student group that works with the Advancement Office. I have chaired the Stewardship Committee, which oversees all of the donor events on campus. I’m overseeing the Senior Class Gift Committee, so I was able to decide what the senior class gift would be this year and will soon be unrolling the campaign to start getting donations. I’ve been involved with Residential Life for three years − I was a resident assistant in Oakwood for two years, and now I am the apartment coordinator in East Street Apartments.” 

“Wow! That’s a ton of involvement! Can you tell me more about your role as Student Senate president?”

“During my First-Year Orientation, I remember sitting in Cordier with my mom watching Opening Convocation. Jake Burns was Student Senate president at the time, and he stood behind the podium and said, ‘Hello, I’m the Student Senate president.’ And I said to myself, ‘I’m gonna do that.’ So when I got into Student Senate my first year, I watched Jake, I heard stories about past presidents and I realized that the position is different for everyone. For me, it is something that I take so seriously, knowing that I’m supposed to be the representative voice for the student body. Student Senate is a group that the Manchester administration go to when they need a student representative, which means the decisions that I make need to have the voices of all students behind me − not just mine, not just my friend group, not just the people I know, but all the different people on campus. This also means upholding Manchester’s values in everything I do, on and off campus. When I go different places and introduce myself as the Student Senate president, I know that by extension I am a representation of Manchester.” 

“Why did you choose Manchester University?” 

“I considered going to Purdue, but when I visited their campus it gave me a ton of anxiety because it was so big and there were so many people! Every email I received from Purdue was addressed to, ‘Applicant Number 40289,’ but when it came from Manchester, I was Gabby. Manchester even sent this little survey and one of the questions was, “What’s your favorite color?” I wrote down purple. After that, every letter I got from Manchester was handwritten in purple ink. Before I was even officially a Spartan, it was clear that they valued who I was as a person.”

“What is something most people don’t know about you?”

“I’m super into all the personality and typology tests! I know my Clifton’s Five Strengths; I know my enneagram type, which is a 4; I’m a rising Sagittarius with my moon in Virgo; my Myers-Briggs is an ISTJ −I am just obsessed! Self-awareness is one of my strengths and one of my downfalls, because it can be scary to know those things about yourself!”

Nick Rush from Terre Haute, Ind., is a junior majoring in sport management and marketing. He shares his advice for balancing work, school and athletics.

“What are you involved with on campus?”

“I’m a first baseman on the baseball team and I’m in four clubs: College of Business club, where I’m the program committee director, STAT (Students Today, Alumni Tomorrow), Student Senate and then as a side of Student Senate, I’m on the Student Senate Student Relations Committee. And then I also have three jobs on campus: sports information student assistant,a Student Orientation Leader, Spartan ambassador and I’m also a social media ambassador.”

“Why do you take part in so many activities on campus?”

“I like having more memories – more experiences – and I feel like everything I do is something that will help me later in life. College of Business, for example, helps me with networking. STAT helps me with connecting and networking, but also having the opportunity to talk with people from other generations and not just people my age. And baseball has allowed me to challenge myself and play the game I love along the way. Each club or activity I’m involved with helps me develop more as a person and learn, which is exactly what college is all about!”

“What is one of your favorite memories from playing baseball?”

“We went down to Myrtle Beach as a baseball spring trip. Basically, we went down there and we played six games against teams from New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. I really enjoyed going down there, and that was one of my favorite trips from baseball because we got to play right next to the beach with palm trees in the background. We ended up 3-3, which is a better start than we had last year. The improvement shows the kind of practice effort we had and the talent that we have this year. Plus, I hit my first college grand slam! Overall, it was a great trip.”

“What is one lesson that baseball has taught you?”

“Time management! That’s for sure. You don’t know how busy you are until you get into the season. You have to figure out when you can work, when you can eat, when you can do your homework and when you can relax. Once you get in the flow of things, it gets easier, but you have to find that flow. But above all, I absolutely love the sport. I’ve found a group of guys that have made my college experience better than I could have ever imagined. We do everything together and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Andrea “Andy” Vance, from Portage, Ind., is working to create her own individualized major in performing arts administration. She strives to leave her footprint at Manchester University, one theater production at a time.

“What made you choose Manchester University?”

“At first it was the study abroad opportunities. My mom is from the Philippines and I always wanted the chance to travel there and all around the world. Now that I’m here, I’m realizing the opportunities inside the classroom and the footprint I can leave at MU. I was a business management major, but now I’m in the process of becoming a performing arts administration major – and the only performing arts administration major at MU. My heart has always been in the performing and visual arts, so that’s the path I wanted to follow. Along with my major, I’m starting to revamp a few clubs and organizations for fellow art enthusiasts, and I love the work each club has done so far! I’m only a first-year but I hope to leave my mark here.”

“What organizations are you working on revamping?”

“I’m president of Artist’s Anonymous, and we just had our first event in December! There were a lot of people there and I’m very happy with the turnout. It was called “Art by the Fire.” I also just got presidency of Theatre Society, so I can’t wait to start working on that!”

“You said your heart has always been in performing and visual arts. How did you become interested in that?”

“I’ve been singing since before I could walk and have been in dance since I was little. I began theater in elementary school and stayed all the way up to high school, and that was when I found where my heart belonged–not technically onstage, but backstage. Being able to see a production – something you helped create – come to life in a magical way is a feeling I could never forget, and it drives me.”

“What do you hope to do with your performing arts administration degree?”

“With my degree, I’m hoping to be able to pursue work in a theater or auditorium, planning events or productions, or even working as a director for performing arts events or visual art events.”

“What advice would you give high school seniors?”

“I would say, look around [at different colleges] and see what opportunities they have for you to make an impact. I came to Manchester and I was like, ‘I’ll just do business management.’ Then I realized that’s not what I wanted to do. I asked around and when they didn’t have what I wanted, I was told I could create what I wanted. I would get to say that I’m the only performing arts administration major out of Manchester. There are more opportunities and chances here to make myself into something more. At other colleges, it would be so much harder. Being in oh-so-many clubs, art organizations and productions – that would be hard at a bigger college. Here, I’m able to meet with professors and advisors who want to work with me to get on a career path I love and make the most out of my college experience. They’re on your side. Simply, Manchester offers possibilities for me to achieve goals, with more flexibility and one-on-one attention than most other schools.”

Jessica Montalvo, director of student services for the Pharmacy Program, discusses growing student organizations on our Fort Wayne campus and lets students know how they can get involved.

“As director of student services, what is your role at Manchester?”

“I do a little bit of everything! I work within the Office of Student Alumni and Community Engagement, so mostly my charges are to serve our student organizations and get some new organizations running, revitalize old ones, set policy and procedure – pretty much set foundational work into place, and it’s been a lot of work! But I love bringing students together and getting students involved.”

“What kind of organizations are you working to get up and running?”

“We just started AAHA [African-American Healthcare Alliance], PLS [Phi Lambda Sigma], which was a group that we just needed to reestablish and revitalize around campus, and SPMC [Student Personalized Medicine Coalition]. We’ve had a lot of student organizations and they really are self-run by hard-working students, which is great. What we needed to do, and continue to work on, is fine-tune and tweak some things, make sure everyone is on the same page and everyone is working with formal standards, like budgets and policy and procedures.”

“What advice do you give to students who want to get involved?”

“To just take the time. If they have some time to look at all of the organizations we have – it’s amazing how really diverse they are with the things they offer, and there’s something for everyone. Some organizations focus on mental health, some focus on health screenings. There is so much information about diabetes, blood pressure, blood glucose, so there’s really so many things that you can explore within the 10 or 11 organizations that we have. I guarantee there is something that a student would be interested in. The organizations are listed on our pharmacy website, and if any student wants more information, they can always contact me and let me know what questions they have. All of the officers for each club are amazing and very helpful, and they’re always willing to sit down with a student one-on-one and explain what their organization does.”

“What is your favorite part of your job?”

“The students. And that’s always been my thing. I’ve been in education my whole career, and it’s always been the students. I have never worked with graduate level students before, but they’re quite similar to other students I’ve served. The fun part is that they’re specialized within pharmacy, and I am learning so much about pharmacy and about them and how passionate they are about serving people within pharmacy. It’s been such a fun and interesting experience so far.”

“What’s a fun, interesting fact about yourself?”

“Actually, I am kind of a jack of all trades. I love doing so many things. I’m a liberal arts junkie. Right now, I’m doing my doctoral program, Ph.D. in philosophy and global leadership. I’m also in a theatre production; I’m a singer and an actor; I love photography, art and painting, writing and English; so I think people don’t know that I like to learn about all kinds of different things, I’m not just focused in on one thing.”

To see the full list of student organizations, visit https://www.manchester.edu/academics/colleges/college-of-pharmacy-natural-health-sciences/academic-programs/pharmacy/student-life/student-organizations

Keiton Hall, a sport management, accounting and finance triple major, chats about how he’s able to balance life as a student-athlete and academics. 

“I saw you’re studying in Manchester’s new Master of Accountancy Program. Can you tell me more about that?” 

“I came [to MU] as a sport management major, but my sophomore year Professor Twomey encouraged me to pick up accounting as a second major. Then Manchester announced that they’re offering the Master of Accountancy Program, and I would be able to earn my bachelor’s and a master’s degree in four years! Since I was already planning to come back for a fifth year to complete my accounting degree, I decided that I wanted to pursue the master’s degree. I’ll be taking 18 credit hours each semester and then a four-credit-hour January session class. It’ll be hard work, but I know these professors and I know they’re going to help me succeed.” 

“You don’t just study accounting – you’re a triple major! What kind of career do you want after graduation?” 

“Hopefully, anything I want! This summer, I’ll be interning at RSM in Indianapolis and I’m hoping that experience will lead to an entry level position after college. I’d like to stay in public accounting for awhile; but down the road, I’d like to pair up my sport management knowledge with whatever career I choose to pursue. That could be working my way into a front office position for a sports organization or a sports clothing brand – both are definitely something I could see myself doing one day!”

“What’s your dream sports organization?” 

“­Something in the NBA because I’ve always been a big basketball fan. Something in Atlanta would be awesome because there are some big market teams down there. But really, just wherever the best opportunity presents itself. Being the Intramural Intern has given me fantastic experience with people and sport management, and has allowed me to bring new events and experiences to students- like the first ever Jan Term Games. Ultimately, I want to work some place where I can leave my mark. I don’t want to live and not be remembered for anything. I know it sounds kind of cliché, but it’s just something I want to do to make people’s lives around me better, and so that when I leave someplace they think, ‘oh yeah! He was here and it was great.’ It may sound like a cliché, but clichés actually turn out to be good if you go out and actually do them.”­­­­           

“How do you juggle being a student-athlete with everything else you do?” 

“Very carefully! A lot of it has to do with time management. Since my first year here, I’ve had to learn how to be disciplined with my time in terms of getting all my classwork done and still committing the amount of time that I want to basketball. Typically on Sundays, I look at everything I have coming up for the week and what assignments I have to get done. So doing four years of it has been a time for me to grow, which is awesome, but it’s been testing as well, because it is a lot, and there are only 24 hours in a day. It’s been a lot, and there are times where I wish I could sleep more! But everything great requires some sacrifice, so I can see this as something I’ll sacrifice now in order to set myself up for great things later.” 

“What advice would you give to high school athletes on their way to Manchester?” 

“Make sure you love your sport! There have been times when if I didn’t love [basketball] and didn’t have goals, I would have quit. It’s a grind completely different from high school because you’re on your own and you don’t have anyone to hold you accountable. So definitely make sure you love the sport you’re going into and set goals for yourself so you’re constantly being pushed and pulled toward an achievement, but also find time to get involved with other things on campus. There are a lot of great things on this campus; for example, this past year I was the vice president for the College of Business Club, so that really stretched me in terms of what I was involved in and who I got to interact with. I built so many great connections here through both basketball and being involved with the College of Business, as well. So be committed but don’t have blinders on. You’ll definitely want to put your education first, that’s why it’s called a student-athlete and not athlete-student. Just remember to plan your work, and then work your plan. If you do that, everything will take care of itself!”

Cheyenne Heath, from Liberty, Ind., is an educational studies major with a concentration in psychology and sociology. Cheyenne’s participation with Manchester’s Center for Service Opportunities helped her realize her dream of working with children with autism, bettering the future of education and fighting for social justice.

“How did you become interested in education?

“When I was in high school, I attended vocational school and went for early childhood education. I wasn’t really focused on the young children; I was focused on the administration side of education – which helped me decide to be an elementary education major. However, I ended up changing [my major] over the summer to educational studies, because I found out that I actually want to work with kids who have disabilities and provide their families with effective resources on how to handle having a person in your family with a disability. I’ve been working primarily on the autism spectrum and, in the future, would like to work as a behavioral analyst, which involves testing kids to see if they have autism and providing families with resources to help them understand that your child isn’t broken, but actually your child is a wonderful, smart, gifted individual. I feel like providing the families with crucial information is so important.”

“How did you get involved in working with children who have autism?”

 “I actually got involved with the Pathways program through the Center for Service Opportunities [CSO] and spent a summer in Iowa working at Camp Courageous, a camp for people with disabilities - so that’s mental, physical, across the spectrum of disabilities. I spent plenty of my weeks being a camp counselor, but there was one week I enjoyed the most called “Just for You” week. I was told this would be the hardest week because you are given one camper with a severe disability that requires one-on-one care and attention. I had already been spending a lot of one-on-one time with my campers because many of my campers were in wheelchairs and required assistance to move around camp; so, I felt prepared. I ended up paired with Tim, who is a wonderful individual who loves to climb, play jokes and, if he could run away, he probably would. It was kind of a challenge the first day, trying to figure out how he works, because he runs on his own time and does his own thing. Then I realized by the second day that I knew who he was and how to handle him. Long story short, our week consisted of being on a train every day for three hours! We sat on this stationed caboose and he would just sit on it, hang from it, climb on it, and we’d sit there for hours. While sitting there, I just realized that working with those sorts of individuals that are on the spectrum is a wonderful thing and it takes people who have the patience and care and the proper love to do it. I think that was when I realized I could do this as a career. I could definitely work with kids like Tim.”

 “Can you tell me more about the Pathways program?”

 “Pathways is a 6 to 10-week-long summer program, at locations around the world, where you are given $800 to live off of and you spend your time volunteering for a cause you’re passionate about. There are opportunities in Texas, the United Kingdom, Iowa and a lot of other places around the world. I originally planned to go abroad but the other spot I would’ve worked at was a special needs school, and I would’ve worked with individuals that needed extra care and guidance in a boarding school setting; ultimately, I wanted a camp setting so I chose to work in Iowa.”

“What other CSO opportunities have you taken advantage of?”

“The volunteering. I really love working with the Manchester Early Learning Center! I love working with them and the people that are dedicated to providing a holistic experience to the children that go to the preschool there. I also volunteered at the community dinners over the summer, which were fun and I got to meet community members. I really love the animal shelter. It’s super fun and is perfect if you need a fun volunteering experience and want to make a difference. There’s a dog I love named Twinkie; if I could adopt her by the end of the year I would love to.

“Why did you choose Manchester?”

“I chose Manchester because my grandpa said it was a tight knit community and I would be in a hometown similar to my hometown. I felt safe at Manchester knowing I wasn’t going to be on a huge campus where I was just a number. Manchester doesn’t make you just a number, it lets you have an individual experience. You’re a person. Throughout my time at Manchester, I’ve worked with CSO and in the education department, and I got to become such good friends with education professors. That’s why I chose Manchester, because those professors care about you and want your education to be valued, and for you to have value in your experience here.”

Jessica Beal ’19, from Westfield, Ind., talks about life as an accounting major and what’s in store for her after graduation.

“How did you become interesting in accounting?”

“In high school, I wanted to study pre-med to be an anesthesiologist, but then I took Chemistry and realized it was awful. I did what any college student does – I talked to my mom, and she mentioned accounting. I had a family member who was a CPA for a hospital, and he told me that I could still do everything that I wanted to do – help people – without all of the blood and guts. I took my first accounting course my senior year in high school, and I fell in love with it! My accounting teacher convinced me to go into accounting in college, and she gave me informational pamphlets about salaries and job possibilities, so I went into it and came into college as an accounting major and have excelled at it ever since.”

“What made you choosethe audit track over tax?”

“I don’t know, honestly. It’s still up in the air a bit. I had my audit class and decided I want nothing to do with audit. I didn’t understand the class and I struggled with the material. I became really nervous because that summer I had an internship lined up with the Indiana State Board of Accountants and it revolved around audit! But I went into the internship with an open mind, got the experience and fell in love with audit. Then this past January, during the busy tax season, I went into my internship with KSM in Indianapolis – all audit – and loved it. But they needed help up in tax and I figured an accountant needs to know how to do their own taxes plus it would be great experience. I went up there and all of the Manchester alumni did their best to push me over to tax! So now I’m 50/50 on what I want to do. I really like audit because I like interacting with people and looking at the puzzle aspect of accounting; however, I like tax because it makes you think.”

“What are your plans after graduation?”

“I will start studying for my CPA in the spring of this year, and I’ll sit for the CPA starting in May. Hopefully I will pass all of my tests before I start working for KSM in October. I’m super excited about that!”

“What makes Manchester’s accounting program unique”?

“I came here, although I was originally planning to go to IUPUI because it was so close to home, but I wasn’t too thrilled about it. I came on a visit during a break when no one was on campus, and it was snowy and cold - but I looked at my mom and I told her I need to go here. My tour guide had told me that the CPA pass rate was 20 percent higher here than the national average, and knowing my test-taking skills, that just pushed me here more. Over the years, professors have showed how much they care about you and your success. I don’t think I would be where I am today if it weren’t for the professors pushing me to be my best self. This is a place where you prepare for your future and you’re surrounded by people who want to see you succeed.”

“What advice would you give to students considering an accounting major?”

“It’s a lot of work! It helps to study with other accounting majors because some understand topics you don’t and vice versa. Intermediate accounting and tax are probably the toughest classes you’ll take, but you’ll get through it. Don’t be afraid to ask questions! The professors here care about you and will go the extra mile to see you succeed. Ultimately, all of the hard work you put into this major will payout in the end.

“What’s a fun fact about yourself?”

“I broke my nose on my 18^th birthday and had plastic surgery because of that. I shared that during orientation week with Professor Ogden. A few days later, I was in his Foundations of Business class when he was taking attendance and he didn’t call off my name. Of course, I got nervous and raised my hand to make sure he knew I was here and I was in the right class! He said he remembered my fun fact and he knew me! Who knew a broken nose would be so memorable?”

Dr. Carrie Hoefer, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences and pharmacogenomics, discusses Manchester’s growing Pharmacogenomics (PGx) Program and how she adapted to life in the Midwest.

 “What excites you about Manchester’s Pharmacogenomics Program?”

“I’m most excited for the fact that we were the first in the country to have a master’s program in PGx. Now we’re starting to see a bunch of schools popping up with pharmacogenomics programs, which just increases the awareness of it. To add to that, I’m also excited that we’re offering a dual degree program. When I was doing my Ph.D. at the University of Buffalo, we had a dual degree with the pharmaceutical sciences and pharmacy, and one of my favorite dual degree students lost her brother to leukemia. She decided she wanted to go into cancer research, especially in pharmacogenomics, and now she works at the Cleveland Cancer Clinic. It’s nice to see that the dual degree is helping people further their careers and their passions.”

“Can you tell me more about the Dual degree opportunity?”

“Manchester’s dual degree program is one of the only programs I’ve ever seen that lets pharmacy students finish in four years, completely done, with both a pharmacy degree and a master’s in pharmacogenomics. It’s more challenging than the regular Pharmacy Program – you have more workload and more to balance, but the students we have are awesome and I know each one has the ability to succeed.”

“Is there an area of PGx in which you have a special interest?”

“PGx is already a very specialized science, but there are different aspects starting to sprout up like nutritionomics, which I’m reading about right now actually. It looks at how food interacts with your genes and how it can make you healthier, or which exercise habits will work best with this person. So that’s a piece of it, but my favorite aspect is epigenetics, which is a layer on top of pharmacogenomics. I think of pharmacogenomics as an instruction manual for your body, but epigenetics is a layer on top. Are you a smoker? Do you live in a high smog area? Do you live in a sunny area and have a lot of Vitamin D? Epigenetics looks at factors that can change throughout your lifetime based on different factors around you – it really looks at what makes you, you.”

“What is one thing you hope students will get out of your classroom?”

“I try to teach my students the importance of communication in presentations. Everything is at your fingertips now, and you can study it until you can regurgitate it word for word, but that’s not going to help you in the real world. What’s going to help you is how you can present the information to somebody who doesn’t know it and can’t relate to it. I make my students do a lot of presentations, a lot of writing, and come up with spur of the moment ‘what do you think about this?’ conversations, because those are the real life situations you’re going to be put in. I do love teaching the science, but the most important thing to me is how students can interact once they get out of school.”

“What do you love about Manchester?”

“I’m an East Coast girl, so the Midwest was really hard for me to adapt to. We are go, go, go all the time, and it was really hard at first. Within my first year teaching here, my sister had passed away from complications with drug addiction. The craziest part to me is that I actually get to teach stuff like this – about drug addiction and how it changes your epigenetics. But no one else at MU taught in pharmacogenomics at the time. I told my colleagues what happened, and they just said, “Of course, go home, we’ll see you when you can come back.” It was the first time I had been in a job situation where it felt like people actually cared. That would never happen on the East Coast. When I got back, I had flowers on my desk, my students bought me this big care package, I had cards slipped under my door, and it was the first time I’d actually felt like MU was family. And ever since then it’s been this big family to me, and I couldn’t imagine not being here.”

“I see you have a lamp from A Christmas Story on your desk – I’m guessing you’re a big fan?”

“Yes! I love A Christmas Story! When I was little, I use to wake up early Christmas morning and I’d go into my big sister’s room and try to get her excited and wake up to open presents! She’d always tell me to go away and leave her alone. Since she had a TV in her room, she’d turn it on for me and, of course, A Christmas Story was always playing. So ever since then I’ve loved it and have continued the tradition with my little sister. To this day, we get the biggest kick out of singing, “Fa-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra.” Every Halloween I’m the pink nightmare bunny from the movie; I’ve been to the Christmas Story house – everything. I love it.

First-year pharmacy student Patrick Hallis, from Redfore, Mich., originally from Beirut, Lebanon, shares his love of helping others through volunteering and reflects on how Manchester’s Pharmacy Program gives him the tools to impact his community.

“How did you become interested in Pharmacy?”

“Throughout my undergrad, I always wanted to be an MD, but in my journey I decided that wasn’t for me, and I found another calling. I got a job at CVS Pharmacy and while working there, it just clicked, ‘why not pharmacy?’ I really thought that I could do something, make a change, and have an impact on the field. My district managers [at CVS] and everyone around me that I spoke to was like, ’Manchester, Manchester, Manchester, it’s a great school!’ so I applied! It was my first choice, and I got in! It’s been really good; I love it.”

“What do you enjoy most about pharmacy?”

“What I love about pharmacy is that any person who needs help or health care attention can just go to a pharmacy and speak to a pharmacist, someone who can help them and advise them and tell them what to expect. It’s an alternative to waiting and paying for a doctor’s appointment. And a lot of people aren’t educated on what to expect from a medication. I’ve met people who are baffled by what a prescription is – simple things like that – and I want to change that because I love people and want to help them.”

“Do you know what area of pharmacy you’d like to work in?”

“Not really. I would work in retail just because I like that direct patient contact, but I could have an impact in hospitals or in ambulatory care as well. The field may change, and what I want may change through my experiences, so for now. I’m just experiencing everything. During my undergrad, I really didn’t get the chance to be involved or go out and see what things I could do in the community. I was working 62 hours a week with a full load of classes. Coming here, I’m setting myself up and taking every opportunity to be a part of the community or do service because it opens up so many doors! You learn so much about your community and about people, and that plays a big factor in being able to help people in the health care field. Just knowing who people are, how they function and the way they think helps. I love it.”

“You mentioned you’re taking advantage of a lot of opportunities, what are some of those opportunities?”

“I love that this school is all about the humanistic approach, pro-community and volunteering, helping and caring, because we’re missing a big part of that in the world. We have to care for each other. Day one of orientation, we were required to go volunteer. Most people were like, ‘why do we have to do this?’ but after we did it, I found the majority agreed that it was an awesome experience. We went to a food pantry to help out there, and it was just amazing. They had a pharmacy where people could donate over the counter meds, and people would have a voucher and be able to pick up things like Tylenol, bandages, diapers – anything that one would need. I was asking them so many questions about what they need and how we can help. Not everyone can afford that stuff, and it’s sad to see. I saw how people had to come wait in line for canned goods and simple stuff that many people take for granted. From there I thought ‘I have to keep doing stuff like this.’ I did a flu vaccine at a hospital, where we vaccinated many people who came in. My classmates and I set up teams in our class to be a part of the #UCanCrushHunger campaign at MU and helped promote it. We even created a group where we walked around blocks to collect canned goods to donate. There was also a Day of Service, and I think that was awesome. So a lot of opportunities! People had to make a portfolio about what they’ve done so far and then present it to the other students and faculty members, which was so important. I think it was great because you could highlight what you’ve learned and why it’s important, and seeing you do that is going to spark some inspiration in someone else’s brain.”

“What are you looking forward to in the next three years?”

“I take it day by day, but I always aim to make progress and build upon what I’ve done so far. I feel this first semester was a learning curve, a rough patch while trying to adapt, but I feel like next semester I’ll be able to go for what I really want and focus on the side of community service. Now I have the hang of things and know what’s expected, and it will be better and I’ll be able to do more.”

“Anything else you’d like to add?”

“To be honest, I’ve always had this feeling that I want to make a change, and I don’t know why, but for some reason it feels like this is it, and Manchester is where I can do it. I’ve spoken with my mom and all that, and I told her ‘I don’t know what it is about this place, but I feel like something great is coming, and it’s going to happen.’”

Ric Johnson, men’s basketball assistant coach for the Manchester Spartans, discusses his love of basketball and how the game has impacted his life.

“What do you love about basketball?”

“It teaches you so many life lessons. Playing basketball is something I’ve been doing since I was a kid and I’ve had so many successes on the court, both as a coach and an athlete. But there’s things you learn aside from looking at the scoreboard – like handling adversity, traveling away from home and, above all, I love the team aspect. You build a brotherhood through basketball, you learn how to be held accountable and responsible for your actions. I just love it! I love the game. I do this for fun, and it’s so great that it’s my job.”

“How does Manchester’s basketball program stand out from others?”

“Prior to being here, I was at another school for three days, but then I got the call. I knew I wanted to work with these students at this university! Prior to coming to Manchester, I was a graduate assistant at Xavier University and I played at Ohio University on a basketball scholarship. I have a lot of experience at the Division I level. Now that I’m working at a Division III level, I’m able to bring my Division I experience, both as a student athlete and a coach. I aim to push players to better themselves and bring a high work ethic on and off the court - and these guys are great and they do great work in academics and basketball. I appreciate the opportunity to work with them every day and watch them grow, but also I get to learn from them as well, and it’s an all around fun experience.”

“What is one lesson that you try to teach your athletes?”

“I try to drill in them to be well-rounded. They have already done the work themselves. They worked hard in high school and they have to continue to work hard in college and keep pushing themselves. I tell them to continue to do the right thing, make those good choices, and prepare yourself for reality and life after college. Those four years will fly by, and you have to take what you learn on the court out into the world. Like I said earlier, a reason I love the game is because you can learn so much more than basketball. At this level, high school athletes know what it’s like to put the work into basketball every day. Now college athletes learn how to create a balance with life, school, family, friends and being more independent. Basketball is a great teacher.”

“Is there anything else you’d like to add?”

“Make sure to brag that Spartans are 1 and 1 and we got a pretty good group of guys! Come check us out and cheer us on – make sure you bold that last part!”

McKenzie Grubb, admissions counselor for Manchester University Pharmacy Programs, discusses why she loves MU and her advice for students considering pharmacy school.

“What is your favorite part of being an admissions counselor?”

“My favorite thing about my job is helping people. I just love the student interaction every day – from the inquiry stage, the advocate stage, to becoming a student. I just think it’s so awesome to be there through every step of the way and helping these students achieve their goals.”

“What kind of experience would you recommend to our Pharmacy Program applicants?”

“Manchester is all about service, so we look for applicants that have service components behind them. We also look at [job] shadowing, leadership experience, and we really look for the holistic admission of a person. We look at your GPA, but we also look at who you are as a whole person, and I think that’s really neat.”

“What advice would you give to students thinking about pharmacy school?”

“I would recommend that you have a plan. Study hard in all of your classes, even those not directly related to pharmacy, volunteer and always reach out for advice. I have students that text me, call me and email me for help on an application. They can reach out and I’ll give them advice and help students through the entire admissions process. You don’t have to go in blindsided, you can always ask for help and have support the entire way through.”

“What would you recommend at the high school level?”

It’s the same thing in high school. College, let alone graduate school, may seem far away, but it’s always best to work toward your goals even at a young age. Get involved in your community – United Way, American Red Cross, National Honor Society – any programs that you can volunteer in will look great on an application. And, as always, work hard and get good grades. Hard work will always pay off.”

“What’s one thing people might not know about you?”

“My life is like a reality show! I am getting married in June, and I have two children, a 9-year-old and a 1 ½-year-old. Life is absolutely crazy at the moment and it’s constantly one thing after the next. But, life moves fast and I wouldn’t change my life for anything.”