My Trang Nguyen Awarded Anteaters in Pharmacy Alumni Scholarship
My Trang Nguyen, a fourth-year student in the B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences program, has been honored as this year’s recipient of the Anteaters in Pharmacy Alumni Scholarship!
Each year, a bachelor’s student in the UC Irvine School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences is awarded the Anteaters in Pharmacy Alumni Scholarship to provide funding for their educational expenses and recognize their academic achievements. The scholarship helps to further the alumni chapter’s mission of fostering the professional growth of tomorrow’s pharmacists.
“The Anteaters in Pharmacy Alumni Scholarship seeks to support undergraduate students who have shown passion and commitment to the field of pharmacy and highlight the importance of educating the next generation of pharmacy leaders. This year, we have selected My Trang Nguyen, as she has exemplified the essence of the scholarship. We are confident that she will be making significant contributions to the field of pharmacy in the future,” shared selection committee member Dr. Michelle Ding.
Nguyen’s pursuit of a career in pharmacy stems from a curiosity about medicine that began at an early age.
“I’ve always been interested in science and the human body, and helping people,” she said. “When I was little, I would see my parents taking medications, and I was interested in how they worked and helped to improve my parents’ health, and everyone else’s.”
In addition to her studies, Nguyen assists in Dr. Shahrdad Lotfipour’s lab, where she has gained valuable experience in pharmaceutical research: “I help with different projects, studying the genes and other phenotypes associated with addiction. Our goal is mainly to find a novel therapeutic or treatments to help with the cessation of drug abuse.”
She is also the treasurer of Made with Love at UCI, a student organization that crafts things like masks, pillows, and reusable grocery bags and donates the items to nonprofit organizations, hospitals, nursing homes, and more.
After graduation, Nguyen plans on taking a gap year before applying for PharmD programs. She hopes to spend more time in clinical settings during this time to round out her experience in all areas of pharmacy, having already worked in retail and research roles. Once Nguyen has finished her schooling and is a working professional in the pharmacy space, she wants to help support the efforts of Anteaters in Pharmacy by becoming a mentor.
For now, she is focused on completing her undergraduate studies and is thankful for the resources that the Anteaters in Pharmacy Alumni Scholarship will provide.
“I’m just super grateful to receive this scholarship,” she said. “I’m really happy to be recognized for all my effort and the experiences I’ve had.”