With a desire to help and care for those in need, Vivian E. Pereira Flores, PharmD 鈥�21, chose a career in pharmacy because she considers the profession 鈥渋ntellectually challenging, while offering a high level of prestige and the opportunity to help others.鈥�
She believes that pharmacists are an 鈥渆ssential element in ensuring the health of patients鈥� due to their accessibility and trustworthiness.
Having grown up in Puerto Rico, Pereira noticed that the island was experiencing a shortage of pharmacists. She noted that this situation could pose a health threat to the residents, while opening the door for her to 鈥渉ave a positive impact in the healthcare system.鈥�
She plans to work in a community pharmacy in Puerto Rico before opening an independent pharmacy 鈥渟o I can continue to serve my community.鈥�
Pereira and the 黑料传送门 School of Pharmacy were a perfect match. 鈥淚 love the sense of being in a small community,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he relationship between the faculty and students felt very close and personal.鈥�
She also enjoyed the school鈥檚 cultural diversity. 鈥淚 felt welcomed. To work with and learn from people from many different cultures motivated me to choose 黑料传送门.鈥�
Pereira is no stranger to diverse communities. During her last year in college at the University of Puerto Rico 鈥� Rio Piedras, where she earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in General Science, she studied abroad in Spain for six months and had the opportunity to travel across Spain and to other countries in Europe such as Italy, Greece, Portugal, Turkey, Hungary, Germany, Holland, Austria and others.
She credits her parents with providing for her and her younger brother. 鈥淭hey ensured that we would be able to pursue all opportunities and goals we wanted to achieve. They taught us that any goal is possible if we persevere and work hard for it.鈥�
She explained that her parents both came from economically challenged families and 鈥渨orked really hard to have and give us everything they didn鈥檛 have when they were growing up,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e always had one hundred percent support from my parents, and I am very grateful for it.鈥�
Pereira encouraged prospective students like her. 鈥淚f you are a student from another state or country, don鈥檛 be afraid of the change or to be alone because you won鈥檛 be alone,鈥� she said.
