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The University of Rhode Island

College of Pharmacy

Kingston, RI 02881 401-874-2761

uri.edu/pharmacy

Dean Ronald Jordan

Dr. Joan Lausier Associate Dean,

Academic and Student affairs 401-874-5888

Dr. E. Paul Larrat Associate Dean, Research and

Graduate Education

Dr. Stephen Kogut Chair, Pharmacy Practice

Dr. Clinton Chichester Chair, Biomedical and

Pharmaceutical Sciences

Congratulations on being accepted into our PharmD program; we are excited about having your join our team.

We have arranged a series of web events to provide you with an opportunity to inter-act with students and faculty from the col-lege and help answer your questions. The pages of this booklet introduce the stu-dents who have volunteered to participate in these events.

“Coming from Brooklyn and NYC in general, Rhode Island offered a much different pace. I went to William C. Bryant, a public high school in Queens. An unsolicited URI pamphlet was mailed to me, and from it I learned the univer-sity had a pharmacy program and soon ap-plied. As I waited on my application status I discovered the option to double major in French that made the school even more irre-sistible.

These past four years have been a blast and I've tried many things. Over the course I've had a radio show, been part of a sorority, joined URI EMS, Yearbook, the fencing club, and many other groups. I've had the opportu-nity to study abroad, converse regularly with French exchange and other international stu-dents, serve on academic committees, and learn a great deal about myself.

I came to URI with expectations of myself and college that have changed dramatically. Fortu-nately advisors and professors have been around and supportive when I needed it. My pharmacy interests were founded in natural medicines, and originally I thought I wanted to go into research, but as I changed so have my interests and currently I'm considering public health and international policy as a field to start a career.” - JB

Juliana

Belizario

Class of 2013

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“I hail from a small town on the rocky coast of Maine called Wiscasset. My high school was very small with a graduating class of 60. During my junior year I job shadowed a former Uni-versity of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy graduate in a hospital pharmacy. This was my first experience in a pharmacy setting and I was immediately hooked.

In high school I was a tri-sport athlete playing soccer, basketball, and tennis. I still play these sports very often when I am at URI whether it was with a group of friends, or in the great intra-mural program. I lived my first two years on campus, and then moved off campus to the com-fortable beach town Narragansett about fifteen minutes from campus. Besides sports, I love to play the guitar and piano. There are plenty of great musicians at URI and you can always find someone to jam with.

After I get done at URI I hope to either work in a pediatric, institutional or retail pharmacy set-ting. I’ve been working with kids and people my whole life and I think that I would excel in these settings the most. The great part about pharmacy is that there are so many different avenues in which to practice. I am extremely fortunate to have been accepted to University of Rhode Island’s College of Pharmacy. This college has made me a more humble, intelligent, and mature person. No matter what your passion may be the diversity of URI makes it easy to live the life you want to live.” - AH

Andrew Hatt, Class of 2012

“My name is Kelsey Luczak and I am a 5th year pharmacy student here at the University of Rhode Island. I am originally from Exeter, Rhode Island which isn't located more than 20 minutes away from the University.

When I began college I was extremely nervous and excited to begin. Apart from staying close to home, I wasn't sure that pharmacy was exactly what I wanted to do, but my time here at the College of Phar-macy has proven to me that this is exactly what I was meant to be do-ing. Some of my involvement here includes the URI Freshman Orien-tation Program where I served as an orientation leader for incoming freshmen for 2 years; a mentor for a URI 101 class introducing fresh-men students to the University; as well as a bit of Greek life, also in-cluding the College of Pharmacy's professional sorority Lambda Kappa Sigma.

I am currently finishing up my last semester of classes and very ex-cited to begin my rotations at the start of the summer.” - KL

Meet Kelsey and view the online diary she has been keeping with us for the past 4 years @

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=F3E5DA2B82133589

Kelsey Luczack, Class of 2012

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Gr e g ory L i p p

C l a s s of 2 0 1 2

“Hi! My name is Briana Abramovitz and I am from Long Island, NY. I graduated from Hewlett High School in 2007 and the University of Rhode Island was my first choice school. The University of Rhode Is-land was exactly what I wanted: a big university with a great, close-knit pharmacy program.

At URI I have gotten involved through Phi Eta Sigma (Honor Society), Lambda Kappa Sigma (Professional Pharmacy Sorority), Student Leadership Council and working in a pharmacy. When I need down-time I like heading up to providence or planning trips with my friends.

The idea of working in research has always interested me so I was thrilled when I received a research fel-lowship for last summer. I got to live in R.I. and spend the summer in a lab, investigating and working on my poster. I don't know what I want to do after graduation so I am going to keep trying everything until I find the perfect fit.

I'm sure URI is your first choice university just like it was mine, so if you have any more questions please ask.” - BA

Br i a n a A br a m o v i t z

C l a s s of 2 0 1 3

“My name is Gregory Lipp and I am a P-3 or a fifth year PharmD student at URI. I am origi-nally from a suburb of the snowy Buffalo, NY called Amherst. I chose to attend the University after coming to a Welcome Day, in which I fell in love with the campus and the faculty.

Every person that I talked to wanted to help and answer questions and that's what I hope I can do for you. I currently work at CVS pharmacy which has given me the opportunity to work here, at home, and two summers in Cape Cod.

I am an avid URI basketball fan and play sev-eral different intramurals here at school. I was also a RA for 2 years in a freshman Residence Hall.” - GL

Watch Greg’s greeting @

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fc515CG6Kc

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“Hi, my name is Ezekiel Payne but you may call me Eazy. I am an RA (resident advisor) and a fifth year pharmacy student (P3). I’ll be starting rotations in May and highly look forward to it. I’m from Liberia and now live in Warwick, RI.

In high school I was not sure what career I wanted to pursue but knew that I enjoyed science. I transferred into the pharmacy program here at URI and felt instantly at home. I am a huge fan of the intramural sports program here at URI. My outdoor soccer team is a two time de-fending champion, and my team made it to the final fours in basketball and volleyball.

I work at Walgreens and also at Fatima Hospital. I hope to work in a collaborative practice set-ting at some point in my career and if I happen to be a founder of that practice, I would not be too upset about it.” - EP

Ezekiel Payne, Class of 2012

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“My name is Andrew Cadorette, and I am a 6th year student in the College of Pharmacy. I am from Biddeford, ME and graduated from Biddeford High School in 2005. As a junior, I had every intention to become an architect; however, my Honors chemistry class redi-rected my future passion. I was very strong in mathematics but had a newfound appreciation for chemistry. As I was researching careers, I came across the pharmaceutical sciences. It seemed to be a perfect fit for my interests, es-pecially satisfying my yearning to wear a white lab coat ever since I was young. I have al-ways wanted to be in the medical field, help-ing those in need of care. It also helped to know that there was job security in the field.

As I was being pestered from my parents to start touring colleges, I wanted to stay in the New England area, which limited my options. As soon as I stepped foot on the University of Rhode Island campus, I knew this place would be my home for the following six years.

The University was in small, quaint city, closely resembling my hometown in Maine, but close enough to the liveliness of Provi-dence and Newport. URI provided that secu-rity and close-knit atmosphere I was looking for while being large enough to provide the vast opportunities I was seeking to become involved with. Choosing to attend URI was the best decision I made.” - AC

Andrew

Cadorette

Class of 2011

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“My name is Ann Araba Sam and I am a member of the Class of 2013. I am originally from Accra, Ghana but I moved to the United State in 2003. I went to school at East Provi-dence High.

I love to volunteer in my spare time, some of my volunteering experiences include Rhode Island Hospital Children's Emergency Area, Hurricane Katrina Aftermath, Several Nursing Homes, and SDA Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana. I am also a member of several honor socie-ties, Rho Chi Pharmacy Honor Society, Phi Eta Sigma, Phi Beta Kappa, and the National Society Collegiate Scholars (Current Secre-tary). If that a school wasn't enough to keep my busy I also like to travel the world, listen-ing to music, Skype with friends all over the world, sew, and cook.

I am really looking forward to getting to know you.” - AAS

Ann Araba Sam

Class of 2013

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“Hello class of 2017!! My name is Michael Viscusi, and I am in my fourth year here at the Uni-versity of Rhode Island (second professional year). I come from Long Island, New York, and I graduated from St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School in the Class of 2007.

URI has given me so many great experiences and opportunities to grow as an individual, and I'm really happy to have the chance to share with you guys some of my favorite things about life on campus. My favorite thing to do here is my job with the school's Academic Enhancement Center as a Supplemental Instruction Leader for Chem-istry. I hold twice-weekly review sessions where students can review important subject material, develop their study skills, and learn test-taking strategies. The Academic Enhancement Center is a great resource both for those students that need help getting adjusted to college classes and responsibilities, and for those of you who want an extra boost to turn that A-minus into an A!

My favorite place on campus is the Catholic Center, and I like going to student masses and serving as president of the Newman Club at the Center. I had the opportunity to live in Honors Housing the past couple of years, and it is really nice living in an apartment on campus with students that are equally dedicated to their studies!

Within the College of Pharmacy, I got to participate in a special project with the Department of Health last semes-ter where a couple of other students and I worked with professors and the Department of Health to create videos to help coordinate disaster relief efforts in the case of a bioterrorist attack in Rhode Island. Our scripts were even recorded by a professional voice actor at the State Capitol Building! Finally, I always take the time out to attend Rhody basketball games – my friends and I will even be traveling to a couple of road games this semester! Choosing to be a part of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Rhode Island is the best decision I have made, and it is my honor and privilege to help you in your decision-making process. I wish you all the best, and look forward to hearing from you soon!” - MV

Michael Viscusi, Class of 2013

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E m i ly P e z z ul lo

C l a s s of 2 0 1 5

“Hi. My name is Nicole Gerosa and I am in my fifth year of

pharmacy school at the University of Rhode Island. I am

originally from New York but Rhode Island has really be-

come my home away from home.

In my free time you can usually find me relaxing with

friends or catching up on some reading. I am a member of

Lambda Kappa Sigma, the pharmacy sorority, and Phi

Lambda Sigma, the pharmacy leadership society. I also

belong to APhA-ASP, was a URI 101 mentor and sit on

the College of Pharmacy’s Professionalism Committee.

Through these organizations I have met so many great

people and have had many great experiences here at

URI.” - NG

Ni c ol e Ger o s a

C l a s s of 2 0 1 2

“My name is Emily Pezzullo and I am a Sophomore. My hometown

is East Greenwich, RI, which is the short distance of 25 minutes

away from URI.

I am generally not into sports but I love to play and watch tennis.

To those who know me, I am infamous for my obsession with Cold-

play.

At URI, in addition to being in Lambda Kappa Sigma, the profes-

sional Pharmacy Sorority, I am also involved in the Student Alumni

Association (SAA). One day, I would love to be a clinical pharma-

cist. The University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy not only

motivates me to do well, they support my efforts.”

Watch Nicole’s greeting @

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2cFsLcGtlM

“Hi everyone! My name is Amanda Wojtusik and I am currently a fifth year student at the College of Pharmacy. Although I am originally from Connecticut, Rhode Island has truly become my new home.

I am involved in several different pharmacy organizations including Lambda Kappa Sigma, the pharmacy sorority and Phi Lambda Sigma Pharmacy Leadership Society. I intern at CVS/Pharmacy, was a URI tour guide for 2 years and served as a freshman URI 101 mentor this past fall.

I love to run and recently completed my first half marathon. Rhode Island has officially brought out my inner beach bum, and when the weather is nice you can almost al-ways find me by the ocean.” - AW

Watch Amanda’s greeting @

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-LSMUezfAw

Amanda Wojtusik, Class of 2012