Marylanders Tell What They Want to Be

Daisy

College Student

Community College of

Baltimore County

>> Education

Middle School: Holabird Middle

High School: Overlea High

Year of Graduation: 2007

Favorite subjects: Science, English

Activities: National Honor Society, PEP [The Parallel Enrollment Program (PEP) at CCBC lets you get a jump on college while in high school.]

Internships/work experience: Oakcrest Village, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Franklin Square Hospital

What obstacles did you face growing up and how did you overcome them?

I didn’t have any money. I started working at 14 and sacrificed a lot of my free time. So I missed out on a lot of things young people do like after school activities. I pay for college on my own, not to mention paying for my car and other various bills.

What or who inspired you growing up?

My parents definitely inspired me because my mom worked full time and went to school at night while raising me and my sister. My father worked over 50 hours a week sometimes and also took part in raising us. They taught me values to live by and showed me that hard work pays off.

What critical choices or decisions did you make growing up that helped you get to where you are today?

I got my start working at Rite Aid when I was 16 and gained much of my pharmacy experience there. Then I made the decision to move on to Walgreens and gained a lot of knowledge there. I also made a good choice with PEP to get an early start on college.

What do you wish you’d known in middle and high school?

School can be expensive so start saving ASAP!! Do as much as you can while you are young and just live life to the fullest.

>> After High School

College: CCBC Essex

Major: AA in science/chemistry

Year of graduation: 2009

Favorite classes: Chemistry, biology, English, computer classes

Activities in college: Phi Theta Kappa (the Honors Society for two-year colleges)

How did you choose the CCBC as your college?

When I was in high school, CCBC offered the PEP program, which I started in 11th grade. CCBC had the courses I wanted. And the classes are cheaper than a four-year university, even though the quality is high and the CCBC faculty is great.

What are the best and worse parts about school?

The best part is that I’ve made some really great friends at CCBC. The worst has to be waking up early.

What are you learning?

I am learning to live life. CCBC is helping me get ready to prepare myself for entry into a four-year institution and my future career in pharmacy.

Estimated cost of tuition: $1,500 or about $2,000 with books, per semester

Did you have any scholarships: $500 from Overlea high school and $1000 yearly from my top 10 percent scholarship (That will grow to $2000 yearly when I transfer to Towson University after graduating with an AA degree); Senatorial scholarship $200 per semester.

How are you/have you been paying for school?

My parents helped me pay for tuition while I was in the high school PEP program but I took over paying after the program ended. I have one loan also.

What do you want to be?

When I was in high school, I thought I would be a model or fashion designer. But that changed to pharmacy when I started working at Rite Aid and loved my work.

Why do you want to be a pharmacist?

I love working with medicine and learning what it can do. I also love mixing things up and making things. Being a pharmacist is a very rewarding career.

What or who inspired you to pursue this profession?

Many of the pharmacists I have worked with inspired me. Also many cosmetic lines have pharmacists making the products. That is something I could see myself doing in the future as a pharmacist.

If you weren’t planning to be a pharmacist, what would you be?

I’d be a fashion designer or reporter.

>> Beyond Work

Resources

Pharmacy Technician Certification Board: www.PTCB.org

>> Typical day for Daisy

6:00am: Get ready for school, have breakfast. Maybe do some homework from the night before. Head out to class.

9:00am: At school in class, most likely until 1:00; then have a snack. Attend a Phi Theta Kappa meeting some time between 12 and 1.

1:00pm: Either still in class or leaving. I’ll head to work by 2:00.

5:00pm: Work until 7:00, then go home and eat dinner.

9:00pm: Start homework and get ready for bed.

Originally published by The Daily Record.

(c) 2008 The Daily Record (Baltimore). Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.