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This version of NSU News has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of NSU News, visit news.nova.edu.
This version of SharkBytes has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of SharkBytes, visit sharkbytes.nova.edu.
Realizing Potential: Pharm.D./M.B.A. Student Shares Story at Annual Big Thank You
My name is Yana Vorontsova, and I am a Doctor of Pharmacy and M.B.A. student. I was born in Siberia, in a very small rural village in the south of Siberia. Growing up in a post-Soviet Russia; it was a very difficult time. Our family, just like many others, survived off what was growing in the backyard, preserved for the winter, and kept in the barn. My mom and grandma, sewed and knitted sweaters, socks, and what’s not, for the family.
I dreamed of a different, a better life. So, when I was 15, I went to the boarding high school in the city which was over 200 miles from home.
After graduating the high school, I was admitted to the University majoring in English and Education. At the university, we were encouraged to travel, as this was the only true way to learn and practice a foreign language and to experience a foreign culture. Although the notion was very scary at the time, today, I am happy that I overcame my fears because I live in a free country full of opportunities. Not a day passed by without me realizing how blessed I am to be a U.S. citizen.
Since I was little, I loved biology and medicine. While I was not free to pursue that career in Russia, here I could. So, while in Chicago I started working on the prerequisites for a pharmacy school. After fulfilling these, I was accepted to every pharmacy school I applied to. But only two schools met my own requirements: University of Illinois in Chicago (which was my goal all along) and Nova Southeastern University. My friends and acquaintances said “how can you even think? Of course, University of Illinois. It’s the 2nd oldest pharmacy school and one of the top-rated in the country!” But after visiting the school and interviewing there, it didn’t feel right, it didn’t feel the same as NSU. Here we received so much support and encouragement from the admission counselors and the current students, it felt like they were a family. And I wanted to be a part of that family. All our questions were answered. Admission counselors spoke with every prospective student individually. And the campus felt so safe. So, I chose NSU and moved to Fort Lauderdale.
During my first year I started working with… Click to Continue