Thus the journey begins…

Hello everyone!

As my sister Kim has already introduced me, my name is Phat Tran, and I am the older brother.  Many people have approached us and ask how is it that a pair of brother and sister enters the same pharmacy school, same pharmacy class, and the same campus together?  Are you guys supper smart or something like that?  To those who asked that question, I always say, “Maybe my sister, but for me…Heck nah!”  I truly believe that our case is a miracle!  (Talk to me in person and I will give you my testimony about it, way too long to post on here).  Someone upstairs (aka GOD) must have been watching and know how much I would struggle if I was to enter in pharmacy school by myself, and so he sent my sister along to help 🙂 My whole journey with pharmacy was quite different from many and it was last weekend at my first professional pharmacy meeting, MSHP Conference in Brooklyn Center that I reflected upon this journey again.

Throughout high school and early college years, many careers caught my interest.  Perhaps my future would include being a Priest, a teacher, a caretaker, or even a pharmacist.  No matter what I chose, one consistent theme was present – I wanted a career that would allow me to have a positive impact on the lives of others.

Through volunteering at my church, one of the youth group leaders, who had 4 pharmacists and one pharmacy technician in their family, introduced me to work at Walgreens.  And so on April 17, 2007, I started work as a pharmacy technician. To my surprise, I felt right at home and thus begin my pursuit at a career in the pharmacy.  My sister got her acceptance letter in March of 2010 and one month later, I also got mine!  Woohoo!!  After 3 years of community college and being rejected once from the U of MN, I finally got into pharmacy school!  And better yet, we are in it together!  Let the new journey begin.

-Phat Tran

Admission’s Council

Went to my first admission’s council meeting this week. It was very scary, walking into a room full of professors, where you as the student is the minority (it’s usually 100 students to 1 professor). Being a new member, I was doing more observing than talking during this meeting. Throughout the entire meeting and especially during assessment of applicant interviews and evaluation criteria, my initial sense of anxiety started to slowly disappear. These professors do not seem so scary anymore! In fact, after seeing a few sample interviews and hearing their comments and suggestions on it, I get a sense of much thoughtfulness and true compassion coming from all the professors and faculty in the room. They were all there because they wanted to help!! Sure interviews are scary and nerve wrecking. Sometimes it even feels as if your interviewer is going to bite your head off. But, in that room, I can see that that perception is totally not true. These interviewers, whether they are professors or college faculty, are really there to help. Honestly. They really want to understand you and try to get to know you as a person. Whether you believe it or not, they all actually want you to do well during your interviews. I wish I knew that at the time of my interview…but in any case, I am very excited to be a part of the admission’s council and to have the chance to collaborate with these admired college faculty. Let the process begin 🙂 -Kim

Our White Coat Ceremony 09/02/2010

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How did I get here?

Hello all!!!

Welcome to our blog. Let me first introduce myself. My name is Kim, I was born in Vietnam. Our family emigrated into the US in 1993. I have lived in bitter cold Minnesota ever since. I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities with a physiology degree. Initially, my career plans included medical school and becoming a pediatrician. It wasn’t until my junior year of college that my older brother (Phat) introduced me to the world of pharmacy and helped me get my first job working as a pharmacy technician at Walgreens. Since that day, I started talking to more people about career choices in pharmacy and why they had made it their passion. I began to reevaluate my potential options, and after much thought, of course I chose pharmacy 🙂 That re-examination period helped me realized that I had more interest in the treatment of diseases than in the diagnosing of them. To me, it’s a more positive way of going about my day. I would much rather tell someone that I have cured their ailment than discovered a new life threatening disease growing in them. Every day since the start of pharmacy school, I find my interest in pharmacy continually growing!! There are so many opportunities out there, I cannot wait to learn about all of them and eventually find one that is best suited for me. I just know it’s out there somewhere 🙂 and I’m going for it.