For me, not too long ago, the letters APhA–ASP were nothing more than an abnormal distribution of vowel and consonants in a bowl of alphabet soup. I will admit that in these last fleeting few years of pharmacy academia, the Academy’s significance and impact on my life has expanded tremendously. There is, however, one defining moment that culminated its impact on my life up to this point and it is a unique perspective that I have the distinct pleasure to share with you.

While many student pharmacists were immersed in the spectacle that was APhA2019 in Seattle, I tasked myself to find the true essence of APhA–ASP.

A sad, but true, fact of life is that learning the “hard way” is oftentimes the only way. People don’t tell you important details and it makes life a whole lot harder than it needs to be. As graduation 2019 is upon us, I am hoping to correct that by sharing a few things I wish people would have told me before I graduated.

Since 2016, the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy APhA–ASP Chapter has set up a photo booth in the atrium of our school on World Diabetes Day (November 14) along with fun props that go with the theme. Acknowledging how powerful social media is in our generation, we wanted to use it as a platform to reach an even bigger population. Many people around the world use social media every day, and its power cannot be denied. Therefore, we wanted to encourage people to dedicate one of their posts on November 14 to promote diabetes awareness.