Both UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy chapters of the Kappa Epsilon fraternity received awards at the 52nd National Convention of Kappa Epsilon in Charleston, S.C. in late July.
Kappa Epsilon is a professional fraternity for pharmacy students and alumni, with UNC locations in Asheville (Beta Mu Chapter) and Chapel Hill (Lambda Chapter), N.C. While it was originally founded as an organization for women pharmacy students, it has since expanded to be gender-inclusive, according to the organization’s website. During the convention, the Lambda Chapter won the Continued Excellence award for its long-standing commitment to leadership and service. The chapter was acknowledged for their work to develop a scholarship endowment fund for pharmacy students in 2018. Lambda Chapter President Pooja Shah said the fund was an especially big achievement since it took about a decade to implement.
“It’s really special because it’s taken us a long time to get there… we’ve finally been able to get this endowment fund to reach a level where it can actually be sustainable on its own,” she said.
The Beta Mu Chapter received the Community Service award. Beta Mu is involved with multiple community service events, including ovarian and breast cancer awareness and Scouting Out Pharmacy, which helps local Girl Scout troops earn their First Aid badges. During the national convention, the Beta Mu Chapter was awarded for their work with the Well-Being and Resiliency Endowment. The endowment honors Mikey Nam, a Pharm.D. student at the Asheville campus who passed away in October 2017. It also supports an annual award to a student who demonstrates strong leadership, well-being and resiliency.
The Beta Mu Chapter also organized a “Pay It Forward Day” to remember Nam’s legacy. The day featured coping mechanism skills, pet therapy and other activities that promoted wellness for UNC-Asheville students, patients, healthcare professionals and the community. Pay It Forward Day received an overwhelmingly positive community response, and the chapter is planning to host it again in the future.
Beta Mu Chapter President Peter Thao said having this endowment in Nam’s memory shows how the fraternity sees each other as a family and aims to remember Nam’s positive spirit and impact. The chapter exceeded their fundraising goal for the endowment by collecting $33,000.
“He not only emphasized the importance of improving oneself, but he also motivated others to make a positive difference in the community,” Thao said. “And that’s what makes Mikey who he is.”
Both chapter presidents are eager to build upon their projects and continue to make an impact in the community.