Taking Pride as School of Pharmacy Alumni

John Ruskin, the 19^th century writer and philosopher once said, “In general, pride is at the bottom of all great mistakes.”  Yikes.  But let’s be real, this is the same guy that said, “No human being, however great, or powerful, was ever so free as a fish.”  Is it bad to be proud?  What about being prideful?  If it comes at the expense of humility or humanity, that’s not good, but the feeling of satisfaction that comes from achievement is not intrinsically wrong.

So let me ask you: are you proud of yourself?

It’s a question we’ve probably all been asked, or that we’ve asked ourselves.  As a child, it usually meant I’d done something really, REALLY stupid, like telling my mother I couldn’t go to her birthday dinner because I’d lost my Kings Sword of the Heavens while playing Diablo on my home network to a mass of acid-spitting dogs.  I’m sure you all can relate.  And for anyone in the Class of 2010 who sat behind me while I played World of Warcraft during lecture, you’re probably not surprised. PERTUSSIS! (inside joke)

But those days of video games in class and missing birthday parties are behind us now, right?  Yet the question remains: are you proud of yourself?  I only ask because I know the School of Pharmacy is proud of you, even if you don’t realize it.  I’m not sure I really was aware of it as a graduate, but now I know it, and share that pride in our alumni as a faculty member.

• We’re proud every time a graduate passes NAPLEX and MPJE and gets their first pharmacist license.
• We’re proud when our alumni accept a new position in a pharmacy, when they become PIC, RPD, manager, director, chief pharmacy officer, etc.
• We’re proud when students match for residency.
• We’re proud of the students who invest the time and effort to prepare an application, solicit their professional networks for recommendations, and participate in interviews even when they don’t match.
• We’re proud when our graduates are recognized as “Paragons” by their employers, like Sam Elia, Class of 2020.
• We’re proud when our students or alumni publish their research in a peer-reviewed journal.
• We’re proud when our alumni become preceptors and give back to the next generation of pharmacists.
• We’re proud when our alumni seek opportunities outside of traditional pharmacy roles and take their critical thinking and leadership skills into new and unexpected professions.
• We’re proud when our graduates demonstrate resilience under extreme pressures, and when they  recognize the signs of burnout and priorities their mental well-being.

It’s OK to be proud of yourself.  As a School, we support it, and…dare I say…encourage it?  What’s more, your colleagues and peers are proud of you – or would be if you every shared your achievements!  And there’s the rub.  How many incredible accomplishments go uncelebrated because of our collective humility as alumni and as a profession?  How many great things that pharmacists do go unnoticed by society because we’re resistant to self-promotion?  I imagine it’s a lot.  So let’s start changing the culture in small ways!

• You can start by sending an email: “Hey Professor Marcus, I just matched for a PGY-2 residency!” 
• You can share your news with other alumni through the Pacific Magazine “Class Notes” section by filling out this simple form.
• And as always, you can drop by 222 SE 8^th Ave, Suite 451 and share your news with Ms. Hess, swing by faculty offices, drop in on a classroom to reminisce, and shed a tear for the demise of Hank’s and Baker’s Burgers while you’re here!

Am I proud of myself?  You’re damn right I am!  And I’m proud to count myself among the exceptional, accomplished, and (overly) humble alumni of Pacific University School of Pharmacy!  I hope you are, too, and I hope you’ll share your successes with us all!

Sincerely,

Ryan Gibbard, PharmD ‘10