August 7, 2023
When Min Jiang applied to Carolina, she was set on pursuing a business degree. That all changed when her grandfather came to live with her family as he was aging. Soon after, her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“All of a sudden, our lives were full of different medications. I learned that medications are a big part of life—people get older and diseases happen. Understanding how it all works is important,” said Jiang, Pharm.D. candidate class of 2027 from Charlotte, North Carolina.
These experiences piqued her interest in pharmacy and attending the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy became her new goal. That led her to seek out and gain valuable hands-on pharmacy experience before she even applied to the School.
During her first year as an undergraduate student at Carolina, she started working at the UNC Hospital in-patient pharmacy and during her second year, she started working at CVS Pharmacy to gain retail experience. She was also involved in the School’s Mentoring Future Leaders in Pharmacy program where undergraduate students who are considering a career in pharmacy are paired with a current pharmacy student for mentorship.
“The pharmacy school is right here on campus, but you never have a reason to go inside as an undergrad and it can seem really intimidating. My mentor was so nice and put a face to pharmacy school for me,” she said.
With a new passion for pharmacy, Jiang completed all of her prerequisites in three semesters, so in her fourth semester she spent it abroad in Taiwan to learn Mandarin and take a global health course. She applied to the School early and found out that she received the Joe Hollingsworth Memorial Scholarship while in Taiwan.
“It was a huge surprise. I’m so thankful, and it motivates me even more to do well and put the scholarship to good use,” she said.
Jiang is a little nervous as she starts her first year of pharmacy school, but overall, she feels prepared and excited to learn about other pharmacy paths including industry and ambulatory care.
“Working in different pharmacy settings has made the career more realistic for me—seeing pharmacists in action in both retail and the hospital,” she said.
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