PSC In Focus
Recent PSC Graduate - Christianah Aluko
Nigerian native Christianah Aluko thought she wanted to go away to college her first year, but she says she is glad her parents convinced her to attend Prairie State College (PSC) first. She says that the decision not only saved money, but she also was able to take classes from great professors who really wanted to see her succeed.
And, succeed she has. Earning an Associate in Science degree in pre-pharmacy, Aluko already has been accepted into the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she plans to finish the program in 2016, at the age of 23. She is one of very few students accepted into the PharmD program without a bachelor's degree.
Aluko's interest in pharmacy was piqued when she was in high school in Nigeria. After her best friend became ill and died because the pharmacist gave her the wrong medication, Aluko said, "I wanted to help save lives and prevent careless mistakes like that from happening again."
As soon as she began the pre-pharmacy program at PSC, Aluko says she started researching what she'd need to do to increase her probability of being accepted into the PharmD program. Among those things was maintaining a high GPA, as well as keeping herself active in school, including serving as a student ambassador, a tutor, peer educator, and a member and officer of the Nu Sigma chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the official honors society for two-year colleges.
She says that staying involved not only enhanced her college experience, as well as taught her valuable communication skills she was able to use in her application process to the PharmD program.
"Getting involved with your school is very important," she said.
Aluko says the skills she learned at PSC, both in her classes and through extracurricular activities, have taught her how to be more hardworking, and gave her the opportunity to meet and work with a diverse group of fellow students, as well as reinforced her drive to complete the PharmD so she could help people in need of medicine.
She says she was especially supported by her PSC professors. "The professors at PSC really take the time to teach. They make time to meet with you after class, and are genuinely interested in you as a student," she said.