We’re thrilled to announce the winners of the 2022 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 2022 CVS Health Minority Scholarship for Pharmacy Students winners

We connected with each of the 2022 scholarship awardees to discuss how this scholarship will help them move forward in pursuing a career in pharmacy.

Sochima Oriaku, University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Sochima is a second-year pharmacy student at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. He is looking forward to his future work as a community pharmacist.

The CVS Health Minority scholarship will help me financially throughout my tenure in pharmacy school but will also help me achieve my career goal of working as a community pharmacist. The burden of school loans and financial obligations weighs heavy on the minds of many pharmacy students. Still, I’m grateful to be in a position where the education and skills I’ll obtain from pharmacy school will impact many people’s lives in underserved communities. Through immunization clinics, promoting medication adherence and safety, and advocating for more representation of the underrepresented in healthcare, my vision of changing the trajectory of healthcare in underserved communities will continue to move in a positive direction. Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” I plan to create that change through the education obtained from pharmacy school and the support of CVS Health. Thank you, CVS Health.

Joanne Stephens, Creighton University

Joanne is a first-year pharmacy student at Creighton University. She is enthusiastic about serving her community and improving their healthcare conditions.

I am eager and determined to become a pharmacist. For me, becoming a pharmacist is about giving back and improving the healthcare conditions of the elderly low socioeconomic population. I want to work as part of the healthcare team and with patients to assist them in eliminating barriers to medication adherence. Although my goal of becoming a pharmacist is admirable, financial obligations must be met first if this goal is to come to fruition. The CVS Health Minority scholarship will strengthen the path to this goal and eliminate part of the financial burden.

Jordan Louis, Howard University

Jordan is a second-year pharmacy student at Howard University. She is working towards a career as a pharmacist in an ambulatory care setting.

I am truly so honored and thankful to be one of the recipients of the CVS Health Minority Scholarship for Pharmacy Students.

This scholarship will help to lessen the financial burdens of pharmacy school by allowing me to equip adequate tools and resources to assist my learning experience with comfort during my P2 year. It will also help me attend conferences, expanding my opportunities to network with pharmacists and other pharmacy students. All of which will contribute to my personal and professional development, helping me to better serve patients in ambulatory care settings — patients who look like me.

I would like to thank CVS Health and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy for recognizing and granting me this generous award for my education.

Celeste Noelle Bustria, University of California, San Francisco

Daisha is a first-year pharmacy student at the University of California, San Francisco. She looks forward to her work in promoting health equity.

I am sincerely grateful for the opportunity to be a CVS Health Minority Scholarship recipient, and I hold the values of what this scholarship entails closely as I go forward in my career. When I initially considered a career in pharmacy, I was concerned that financial burdens would prevent me from fulfilling my goals. With this scholarship, I can unwaveringly commit to my academic endeavors and maximize my learning in pharmacy school. As I embark on my pharmacy career, I remind myself of my experiences as a minority student and use them to inform how I approach challenges and health innovations. The financial support of CVS Health increases my accessibility to a high-quality education such that I can provide high-quality care. I am eager to represent the CVS Health Minority Scholarship program throughout my career as I work towards relieving health disparities and promoting health equity.

Gislia Negrete, Pacific University

Gislia is a second-year pharmacy student at Pacific University. He is excited to work towards improving patient outcomes and advocate for underrepresented communities.

I am deeply honored to receive the CVS Health Minority Scholarship and would like to thank CVS Health and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. As a first-generation Hispanic student, this will lift a financial burden for my family and me. This scholarship will help me achieve my career goals by assisting me with tuition, books, study guides, and funds for conferences that I plan to present at. I will be able to continue focusing on my education, roles in organizations, and community service. All of this will allow me to be the pharmacist I have been working up to be. The type that leads with compassion and helps the underserved and more.

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.