Meet Patrick Aviado, a Class of 2021 graduate who earned a BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences. He is one of 119 graduates from the UCI School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences!
Q: What originally attracted you to pharmaceutical sciences? How did you come to the decision to pursue your degree at UCI?
Growing up, I was always a part of athletic activities such as Taekwondo, basketball, and dance. After doing whatever activity I was partaking in, I would always end up sore and there would even be times where I would get sick because I would be out too long. Whenever times like that would happen, my parents would give me medicine to feel better. It made me think, “Why is it that this little pill helped me feel better within a couple of hours?” Because of that small realization, I decided to pursue this degree and get a deeper understanding on how drugs were able to work in the body.
Q: How has your UCI experience prepared you for the next chapter in your life?
One of the biggest keys I’ve taken away from coming to UCI is to not be afraid of putting myself out there. The reason I say this is because growing up I was always a shy kid but UCI made me realize that opportunities could be lost because of that. With that, UCI taught me how to find connections and build relationships with the people around me because you never know what opportunity could be out there.
Q: Do you have any advice for future students entering the BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences program?
One piece of advice I would tell future students is to honestly just live in the moment and have fun. I do believe that studying is a major factor, but there comes a point where you just need to take a step back and breathe. I feel like with our major, students tend to forget to care for our mental health and that is something that’s important to look out for.
Photo by Christopher Todd Studios.