We’re thrilled to announce the winners of the 2021 CVS Health Minority Scholarship for Pharmacy Students!
The CVS Health Minority Scholarship for Pharmacy Students is a scholarship program launched in 2019 thanks to the generosity of CVS Health in partnership with the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP).
About this scholarship program
The scholarship program is designed to support and promote a diverse population of student pharmacists by reducing financial barriers for underrepresented minority (URM) students pursuing a PharmD degree.
Awardees are selected based on their demonstration of academic success, leadership, and commitment to advancing the profession of pharmacy and patient care. Each recipient is awarded a single $8,000 scholarship.
The 2021 CVS Health Minority Scholarship for Pharmacy Students winners
We had a chance to connect with each of the 2021 scholarship awardees to discuss how this scholarship will help them move forward in pursuing a career in pharmacy.
Gustavo Flores, Drake University
Gustavo is a second-year pharmacy student at Drake University. He is excited for the opportunity to advocate for his patients and work towards diversity, equity, and inclusion within the pharmacy field.
“I am honored and thankful to be one of the recipients of the CVS Health Minority Scholarship. This award will lighten the financial burden on my family and me. I will be able to focus on my academics and volunteering within the community. As a first-generation Hispanic student, it is one of my goals to increase representation in the health care community and be an advocate for underrepresented and low-income communities. Once again, thank you, CVS Health and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.”
Ivana Korankyi, High Point University
Ivana is a second-year pharmacy student at High Point University. She is looking forward to working with and empowering her patients.
“I am deeply grateful to CVS Health and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy for this generous scholarship toward my education. Receiving this scholarship will transform my career, allow me to further my education, and help me launch to be a pharmacist in our ever-changing profession.”
“With this scholarship, I will be able to take my unique background and continue to transform the lives of others. It fills me with so much joy to continue to partner with all underrepresented individuals and empower them so that their healthcare looks like them, includes them, and supports them.”
Sarah Tesfaye, Roseman University
Sarah is a second-year pharmacy student at Roseman University. She is passionate about advocating for the pharmacy profession as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion.
“My sincerest thanks to CVS Health and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy for selecting me as a recipient of the CVS Health Minority Scholarship for Pharmacy Students. This scholarship will unquestionably help me in my educational journey and the pursuit of my academic and professional goals. It will afford me the opportunity to expand my involvement in the various organizations and research I currently participate in. I will be able to take a more active role on campus and continue advocating for the profession, diversity, equity, and inclusion. I am eager to invest time exploring unique challenges and experiences in pharmacy as I continue my education, as well as further develop the skills needed to treat the communities I will eventually serve.”
Daisha Matthews, University of California, San Francisco
Daisha is a first-year pharmacy student at the University of California, San Francisco. She is enthusiastic about pursuing a career that will revolve around human health and hopes to enact tangible and measurable changes in her community.
“As the first person in my family to pursue any profession within healthcare and the first to pursue a doctorate degree, I am grateful for this CVS Health Scholarship to support my educational experience in pharmacy school. This scholarship will help me gain the knowledge, experience, and additional skills I need in my process towards becoming a strong pharmacist, educator, and professional in Ambulatory Care/Clinical Pharmacy. I desire to utilize my diversity of experiences within education as well as my understanding of how an unequal distribution of wealth has disadvantaged many communities globally to support my desire to find solutions for deficits in our healthcare system and implement new strategies as a pharmacist to foster tangible and measurable changes in overall human health on my career path. I am very thankful for this scholarship, and I will continue to use my current skills and those I develop to work with various populations to improve accessibility to medicine and overall healthcare.”
Jordan Winfield, University of Texas at El Paso
Jordan is a second-year pharmacy student at the University of Texas at El Paso. He is excited to work towards improving patient outcomes and advocate for underrepresented communities.
“It is an honor to be chosen by the committee to receive this award. I am happy the CVS Health and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy scholarship exists for minority students to promote diversity in the field of pharmacy.”
“The funding I receive from this scholarship will allow me to focus more on research. My goal is to publish data in pharmaceutical sciences that has a positive impact on patient care outcomes. As a pharmacist, I hope to complete a residency and post-doctoral fellowship to contribute to research that focuses on diseases that primarily affect minority communities. It is my aim as a pharmacist to advocate for underrepresented communities and promote the reduction of health disparities.”
Congratulations to the scholarship awardees
Please join us in congratulating these deserving students on their achievements! We can’t wait to watch them grow and succeed as they pursue careers in the pharmacy industry.
You can learn more about the CVS Health Minority Scholarship for Pharmacy Students on the AACP website.