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Alumni Testimonials
As my first year of pharmacy school comes to a close, I can’t help but attribute most of my success to my experiences at Lewis University. I began at Lewis, enrolled in the dual-admission pharmacy program with Midwestern University and soon found out that I wanted to complete my degree in Biology; I withdrew from the dual-acceptance. I found that to be one of the best choices I made in my academic career, aside from choosing Lewis University. Lewis provided me with so many more opportunities to prepare myself for my career path, something I couldn’t truly realize until I began my graduate studies. It allowed me to become a well-rounded individual, being involved with the Track & Field team, various organizations, along with maintaining great social and educational experiences. Though the road may not have always been easy, it was well worth the ride. I embarked on my journey in the Fall of 2008 at one of Nashville’s new pharmacy schools, Belmont University. Surprisingly, both Lewis and Belmont are similar in so many ways, despite their 500 mile distance. I was instantly comfortable here and, to be quite honest, I was anxious to start my classes at what would be my new home. I felt that Lewis had fully prepared me for any road or obstacle that lie ahead. Even my time management skills seemed to be up to par! Regrettably, a number of my classmates were not as fortunate as they struggled through the balance, which during this time, I was very thankful for my previous education. Through this past year, it’s remarkable to think how many times I have recalled on topics learned from the professors at Lewis and, this goes for core and general education classes. I really can’t thank them enough for all of their help in guiding and shaping me into the person I have become. To date, I am enrolled in my experiential rotations at one of the surrounding hospitals and I absolutely love it. It has actually made me consider partaking in a residency and tackling more of a clinical side of pharmacy. My education thus far has only made the bond between pharmacy and myself that much stronger; I am so happy that I chose the path that I did! I reflect quite often about my journey on how I got to where I am today and, I importantly never forget the reason I am here. I can’t wait to continue through these next three years!
Graduation: December, 2005 For me Lewis was a wonderful experience. I enrolled as a Biology Major in the Pre-Health Professions Program and soon found there were many career options for me. The workload was reasonable and included two to three core classes, labs, and general education classes each semester. I attended summer sessions in order to ensure that I would complete all of my requirements on time. As a junior at Lewis, I applied for the Nuclear Medicine Program offered through an affiliation with Northwestern Memorial Hospital. I became the first student to be enrolled in the joint program. I finished my pre-requisites on campus and proceeded to Northwestern for a year. I completed a Bachelor's of Science in Nuclear Medicine and became a certified Technologist at the end of my training. I then chose to come back to Lewis for an extra semester and also received a Bachelor of Arts in Biology with a Minor in Chemistry. Since graduation, I have been specializing in cancer care and tumor imaging using the education I received at Lewis University as a Nuclear Medicine Technologist in many of Chicago's hospitals. After three years in the field, I decided to further my education and am currently enrolled as a student at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in the Medical Radiation Physics Program where I plan to specialize in Oncological Applications of Radiation Physics. I would not be where I am today without the education I received at Lewis University. The class sizes were ideal and allowed for a personal relationship with my professors and peers. My classmates and I became a small family as we proceeded through the curriculum together. The faculty was personable and focused on the improvement of each student. I have always felt more than educationally prepared with each new challenge I face. I have used both of my degrees from Lewis to the best of my ability and will never forget the great time I had there. Many of my good friends today are people that I met as a student while attending Lewis. Looking back years later, I can honestly say that Lewis University was one of the best choices I have ever made.
Graduation: December, 2000 I came to Lewis University on baseball scholarship and really did not focus on the academic side of college much before I started, although I did know my interests were in science. With that in mind, I chose biology as major with emphasis towards a career in the health field. Thankfully I was nurtured, befriended, mentored, and taught by numerous inspired faculty. My advisor personally helped me attain my goals of having a career in the health field by organization, motivation, and personally helping me attain a research position at Loyola Medical Center. These types of efforts by the faculty of the biology department had significant influences on my life and has definitely led to my continued success in the field of health care. I am humbled and blessed to have had the benefits of these extraordinary efforts by the Lewis University Biology faculty and staff. I graduated Lewis University in December 2000 with a B.S in Biology, I then went on to receive a degree in Doctor of Medical Dentistry at Southern Illinois School of Dental Medicine in May, 2005. I am currently a PGY III at Nassau Medical Center in New York for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. It is a very demanding four year residency that entails full scope Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, which includes dentoalveolar surgery, anesthesia, trauma, orthognathic surgery, head and neck oncology, reconstruction and facial cosmetics, general surgery and medicine. In spite of the grueling work and long days, I am having the time of my life. The experience has been great on many levels. Personally, I have had to opportunity to experience New York City and Northeast Region which has been interesting for a born and raised Midwesterner. Professionally, I am in an extremely populated and diverse area that makes for interesting cases and rich clinical experience! I love what I do, and I do what I love!! I feel truly blessed! In closing, Lewis University was my foundation for my professional career! I have many fond memories of my experiences at Lewis University!! I had the opportunity to be taught, motivated, and mentored by selfless individuals at Lewis University that had my best interest at heart. I can only hope that I can give back to others as they have given to me!! Integrity, accountability, effort, motivation, ethics, honesty, loyalty, affability are all things I learned at Lewis University that were and still are critical to my success, and strange enough they are not to be found in the curriculum requirements for a degree of B.S. of Biology! I would like to thank the individual faculty members of the department of Biology at Lewis University, and to let them know they have had a tremendous positive impact on my life!!
After completing my undergraduate degrees at Lewis with a double major (B.S. Biology; B.A. Chemistry, minor – Biochemistry), I started my professional career in October 2003 with Managed Health Care Associates, Inc (MHA) as the Regional Account Representative (RAR) for the Central Region. MHA is the country's leading Alternate Site Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) in multiple classes of trade, most notably Long Term Care (LTC), Home Infusion, and Combo Pharmacies. As the RAR for the LTC division's Central Region, my primary responsibility was maintaining my customer base of LTC pharmacies by providing an in-depth analysis on their pharmaceutical purchases. By analyzing my customer’s purchases I was able to significantly decrease the customer’s monthly drug spending while increasing the pharmacy's overall profitability. Coming from a strictly science education at Lewis I was prepared to handle this type of analysis for my customers as well as speak more confidently with the pharmacists about the drugs in question. After only one year, I was promoted the National Account Manager (NAM) of the Central Region. A feat that had not been accomplished before at MHA as the typical time-frame to reach a NAM title was three years. As the NAM of the Central Region, my responsibilities increased dramatically. Not only was I responsible for the account maintenance of all the customers in the region, but I was also required to identify new customers, cold call, setup appointments, provide extensive presentations of MHA's services to the new customers, and eventually sign up the new customer to MHA's contracts. On top of that, I was also managing a newly hired RAR as well as my internal counterpart in order to make sure that every one of our customers was receiving the same high level of service that MHA is known for in the industry. I have been in the role of NAM for 3 years now and I have loved every minute of it. My territory has changed slightly over the years, but for the most part I have been traveling to the 9 states (ND, SD, MN, WI, IA, MO, IL, IN, & MI) that make up the Central Region. Over the last two years on top of traveling throughout the Midwest for MHA, I have been attending Lewis University's MBA program at night and online. I knew after completing my undergraduate education that I would eventually want to go back to school and earn a graduate degree. As much as I love Biology and Chemistry, I found that I had a natural talent that has allowed me to be extremely successful in the business world. Once I figured this out, 2 years into my career, I enrolled in the MBA program and never looked back. The MBA program allowed me to gain a better understanding of the business world that I was just starting to see as a young professional. With being able to directly apply my work experiences to the MBA curriculum, I learned more about the intricacies of business than I ever thought possible. I know that there are still many things that I do not know but look forward to continuing my development after graduation.
Graduation: May 2007 Degree(s): B.S. Biology; minor – Biochemistry
While I am still deciding on what direction to pursue in the healthcare
profession, my experience at Lewis has set me on an amazing course. Many
of the professors at Lewis have shaped my career path by educating me
on all of the career options that exist in the health profession. I know
that the Biology Program at Lewis has given me a strong foundation to
build upon in graduate school.
Ashley LeGrand came to Lewis University with the intention of becoming a medical professional. She knew the hard road that lie ahead of her, but did not waiver as her rigorous course schedule was coupled to an equally demanding softball practice/game regime. Ashley maintained a strong academic record during her four years of study at Lewis while also enjoying the rewards of playing for a nationally ranked softball squad. When asked about what her education at Lewis University gave her, Ashley stated, “I truly feel that the Biology and Chemistry Departments at Lewis gave me a great foundation for my transition to medical school. This fall (2008), I begin my training at Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine. Ultimately, I hope to enjoy a career as an orthopedic surgeon. ”
At Lewis University, Sarah Lyons was a well-respected, hard working young woman. A member of the women’s soccer team for four years, Sarah had established a very busy schedule for herself before her academic career even began. From the start, Sarah was a motivated student with a career in Physical Therapy as her ultimate goal. Building a strong academic and personal record, Sarah was accepted into three top tier Doctor of Physical Therapy programs. She decided that Belmont University (Nashville, Tennessee) was most complimentary to her personality and educational desires. “The Biology program at Lewis gave me a wonderful foundation to build upon for success in graduate school. With the continued support and dedication of the Biology professors, I have achieved so much in my time here at Lewis. I very much look forward to taking the next step in my life.” (Sarah Lyons, May – 2008) |
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