Summer 2012 - Western University of Health Sciences

5. Lead if/when called upon. Leadership is “a calling.” If you’re called upon, don’t shy away. Again, these are opportunities to
“make a difference.” There are ways to fit leadership activities into an already busy professional schedule—some of the busiest
people we know manage to serve in substantive leadership roles.
Finally, it’s readily apparent that your efforts have resulted in engendering important attitudes and values among these
graduates—key attributes that will serve them well for the rest of their lives—namely, professional commitment, independence,
flexibility, an innate “positivity” noted by even the students themselves, and the ability to think critically. And you did this
without any “shortcuts” because:
There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.
I congratulate all of you—family, friends, faculty, staff, administration, and, of course, the graduates themselves, on a job well
done. Thank you again for the opportunity to be with you today.
Alumni Message
Donald I. Hsu, PharmD ’03
In the next few years as you mature into practice, we trust that you will
come to realize how we tried to prepare you for the challenges in pharmacy
practice, and the magnitude of your responsibilities. In practice, everyday is
an exam. You never know what’s on the exam. In that context, it was very
fair for me to say, EVERYTHING is on the exam.
Precept students, and help them realize that pharmacy practice is not about
grades, regrade requests, multiple choice exams. It is about having a positive
impact on the patients you care for, the healthcare professionals you work
with, and the students you educate. You now know what it takes to get
through the rigorous pharmacy curriculum. Help us find candidates that can
do the same through the admissions process.
With that, I look forward to seeing each and every one of you grow, and
contribute positively to the public, healthcare professionals, and the
profession of pharmacy.
WesternU, College of Pharmacy RxBound | 23