For some, the 2020 COVID-19 quarantine seems like ages ago, but for most current Texas student pharmacists, the effects of virtual and hybrid learning still leave an impression on our pharmacy education. For me, 2020 wasn’t just scary because of the pandemic; it was scary because I was starting a doctorate of pharmacy… online. Social distancing meant learning to socialize with classmates, faculty, pharmacy mentors, and patients in new ways. I desired to be heard, to be a part of something bigger, and to help those suffering in my community.

That’s what the Texas Pharmacy Association did for me.

TPA filled so many of the little voids that were unavoidable during the height of the pandemic. When I couldn’t complete in-person service learning hours, TPA offered educational webinars on fighting vaccine hesitancy and immunization certification. The Association’s continued advocacy allowed qualified pharmacy personnel, including pharmacist interns, to administer COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics, increasing patient access.

Last but certainly not least, the TPA Academy of Student Pharmacists (TPA-ASP) allowed me to make genuine connections with students and pharmacy mentors across the state (I learned there’s a lot of kindness one Zoom link away). During a time when all pharmacy associations suffered in membership recruitment and retention, TPA staff and TPA-ASP leadership did their best to ensure student activities remained as normal as safely possible.

Still, the impact of virtual learning and the immense response to the pandemic and subsequent mass vaccination efforts asked of student pharmacists left its mark. To put it plainly, many student pharmacists were in survival mode the last two years. I will never forget clocking out of a shift at my hospital, sitting for a pharmaceutics exam, and then immediately clocking back in. Or the classmate who worked two intern jobs in-between Zoom classes to support their family. Or the kindness of TPA and the Texas Pharmacy Foundation as they supported travel and academic scholarships so that numerous student pharmacists could experience their first in-person TPA Conference & Expo in 2022.

These are the stories that shaped the beginning of our pharmacy careers. As TPA-ASP returns to hosting full programming this year, it is vital that our leadership hears, respects, and understands these stories in order to look toward our Academy’s future.

This is the inspiration behind our student leadership’s goal to visit every pharmacy campus before the 2023 TPA Conference & Expo. After experiencing the early parts of pharmacy school on videoconferencing, it was important to me and TPA-ASP Chair Dylan McNutt that we hear these stories and needs directly from our TPA-ASP members.

It has been so rewarding to meet student pharmacists “irl” (in real life) and understand first-hand how TPA works at their campus. It has been a personal reassurance to learn how, like me, many other student pharmacists also felt isolated and unheard during quarantine, yet it brings me immense pride that many of these students also found refuge in TPA and partnering organizations. From an ice cream reward program for active TPA membership at The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy to revitalizing an in-person Patient Counseling Competition at the Texas Southern University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, I am in awe of the resiliency of Texas student pharmacists who are making the most out of their academic experience.

Dylan and I have already visited three Texas pharmacy schools with plans to visit the remaining programs by the end of April. Each chapter visit includes the opportunity for members to offer feedback on membership needs and Academy operations. If you would like to provide additional ideas or feedback to the Academy, please email dylanmcnutt@my.unthsc.edu or haleymckeefer@my.unthsc.edu. We also welcome rolling applications to our Academy’s standing committees for those interested in serving in a state leadership role.