PHARMACY GRADUATE CAN INSPIRE TEEN

AND ADULT STUDENTS

Written by Rebecca Zeigler, Summer Intern at UPT

TITUSVILLE, July 22 – Julie Martin of Spring Creek appears to be a student like all of the rest.  She went to college at the University of Pittsburgh at Titusville for pre-pharmacy and transferred to Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) to finish her Doctor of Pharmacy Program.  She now works at Eckerd Pharmacy in Titusville and is looking forward to becoming a licensed pharmacist.

            Look a little closer though, and you see an extraordinary story.  A little over five years ago, Martin was working as a pharmacy technician at Rite-Aid Pharmacy in Titusville.  She loved her job, but she knew she wanted something more.  She wasn’t making enough money, she had a family (three young boys and a husband), and she had always wanted to go to college.  So that is exactly what she did.  “It was the right time in my life.  I was driven, and I was not about to be called a failure,” says Martin.

In the fall of 2000, Martin applied to the University of Pittsburgh at Titusville as a social work major.  After her first year, she made the Dean’s List and that gave her the push she needed to make a change.  Although there were some who doubted she could make it through the program, she decided that she was going to become a pharmacist.  She had learned the most important lesson.  “Never let anybody tell you ‘no’,” she says.

With the support of her family and encouragement from pharmacist Bob Sweeney of Rite Aid, she applied and was accepted into the pre-pharmacy program.  She then went on to the accelerated three year Doctor of Pharmacy Program at LECOM which made it possible for her to graduate in a total of five years (normally it would take six years to complete).

So how does an adult student with children and a spouse get through five years of college?  According to Martin, you need three key things, “Determination, a support circle, and a little bit of common sense.  You have to keep your chin up and focus on the goal of that day.” There were many things that helped her get through the last five years.  Her family was with her one hundred percent all the way through.  She had a husband who encouraged her and bought her flowers, left encouraging messages on her cell phone, and took their boys out of the house so she could study.

Martin also developed her own methods of motivation.   She created a wall in her study area where she displayed words of encouragement and inspirational images.  This helped her stay focused on the task ahead.  More importantly, she learned to reward herself from time to time.  After a big test or an important paper was completed, she would treat herself to her favorite dessert or buy herself something special.  It was her way of keeping herself upbeat and determined.

Though the affiliation agreement between UPT and LECOM School of Pharmacy was not in place when she attended UPT, it was set in place by fall of 2002 to make it easier for future students looking to attend.  Martin has advice for students looking into the pharmacy profession.  “There has to be something in your gut driving you to do it,” she says.  “You have to love what you do and know that this is really something that you want.  You also have to be willing to miss out on things like going to family gatherings or just going out with friends.  There is a lot of studying and classes year-round.”

Now that Martin has graduated and is busy working in her new job, she is looking forward to doing some of the things she missed while in college, like reading for pleasure and going on family vacations with her husband Scott and their three sons Shane, Jesse, and Jamie.

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