Three Central Arizona College students’ —, Mindy Arroyo, Shannon King and Maria McBride have been accepted directly to pharmacy school. This is not something that happens often but with hard work, is certainly achievable. Shannon and Mindy will be attending Midwestern Pharmacy School and Maria will be continuing at the U of A.

Chemistry Professor, Diane Beecroft, had the pleasure of teaching all three students, and commented on what the students have achieved and what it means for CAC. “CAC is a major pathway to success in these professional fields. These are just some of the students I have known. I am grateful for the part CAC has in the community, and the difference it makes for us all. My hope is that as we need to go to the doctor’s office, or to a hospital, or to a pharmacy we remember the role CAC plays in providing the professionals for these needed services in our communities.”

I attended a Q and A with the students to find out more about their accomplishments. They all emphasized the idea of being prepared for what you’re going into. They discussed gaining experience in the field you are interested in, and making connections and soaking up as much information as possible, because it can become critical to being accepted into your program of choice. They also made clear that just going to class will not get you where you want or need to be in this field. Maria and Shannon were part of the Honors program at CAC. Shannon is also a 911 dispatch operator, a profession which showcases her skills in handling high pressure situations. Each student who was accepted came from a completely different background and went about their process in a different way. This shows the diversity and resources that are available to students at CAC, and how it is possible with these resources to achieve outstanding results.

Mindy emphasized that this is not an easy task, as she explains. “The percentage of people who get into these programs from community colleges is very small.” But by no means is it unachievable. Mindy dropped out of college three times before her most recent success at CAC where she attended pharmacy school. After eight years working as a nurse assistant she decided she hated it. While attending pharmacy school she started working at a pharmacy to gain more experience in the field. This shows the perseverance and determination of these students while also showcasing the opportunities CAC provides. Also in attendance at the Q and A were two physician assistants, J.D Shull and Deniz Nebi. They both agreed with all the suggestions made by the other students about how to be accepted into these schools. They put in a lot of hard work to be accepted to their graduate schools of choice. Their success stories were inspiring and to know they were also students from CAC was very motivating. The STEM, Honors and science classes here at CAC were critical to these students’ success not only here at CAC but when they were furthering their education. After mentioning the advantages of a community college Maria states “You should be proud to be here.” Not only did the clubs help but the low professor to student ratio was beneficial when the students needed extra help. The accessibility of campuses is also something that is especially unique to CAC. These students really advocated for community colleges and Central Arizona College as a community, just one more thing making CAC special.