School of Pharmacy encourages six-year-old in future career

When Patricia Chase, dean of the West Virginia University School of Pharmacy (SoP), discovered Kingwood Elementary student, Talia Goodwin, wanted to be a pharmacist when she grew up, she knew she must do something special for the six-year-old.

Dean Chase learned about Talia’s career aspiration through a newspaper article highlighting Talia’s essay on why she wants to be a pharmacist when she grows up. She wrote the essay for SMART529, a college savings plan that helps families prepare financially for the costs of college attendance. Talia received $500 for her SMART529 account based on her essay, and her school, Kingwood Elementary, also received $500.

“Not many students know what career path they want to take in life,” Chase said. “For Talia to be so sure of herself and know at such a young age that she wants to be a pharmacist is truly extraordinary.”

Talia and her mother, Tina Turner, visited the WVU SoP on Monday, April 28. Talia was taken on a “School of Pharmacy Adventure” consisting of a scavenger hunt of each of the three SoP departments: Clinical Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Systems and Policy, and Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences. At each scavenger hunt “checkpoint,” Talia engaged in an activity specific to the department or received a memento symbolizing the department.

Talia also visited a current SoP class and presented her essay on why she wants to be a pharmacist to them.

The interactive tour allowed Talia to experience the research and training she will need in order to become a pharmacist, as well as to see the different areas of pharmacy where she could practice — a career in pharmacy developing medications, clinical counseling and patient care or teaching future pharmacy professionals.