First in Their Family
First-generation students are forging a new path forward in pharmacy.
“First-generation students bring unique perspectives and different life experiences to our college. When we think about our student pharmacists going out into the world and interacting with various communities, it’s helpful to have multiple perspectives in order to promote good health and health equity.”
— John Allen, Pharm.D. Associate Dean for Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity
Nearly 1 in 4 students in the University of Florida College of Pharmacy are the first in their family to attend college.
Full of optimism and resilience, these first-generation college students are chasing their hopes and dreams while serving as role models for family and friends. They are poised to rewrite their family history, but in doing so, they face inherent challenges in cracking the complex codes of college.
These are the stories of first-generation Gator student pharmacists who are uplifting their families and forging a new path forward in pharmacy.
As a first-generation student, Jessica Agalliu has proven to be exceptional in the classroom, and her strong work ethic is contributing to her family’s legacy of success.
Agalliu was born in Milwaukee to a family of immigrants. Her father, mother and brother came to the U.S. from Albania before she was born. Her parents grew up under communism in Albania and did not have the option to attend college.
“No one had a say in their future, they just worked at the jobs they were assigned,” Agalliu said.
Without higher education, her parents found work in entry-level jobs. Her father started a trucking business, and her mother worked as a cashier. Agalliu saw her family overcome adversities and create a fruitful life in America. Her parents’ strong work ethic made a huge impression and encouraged her to reach higher goals for her own future. “Seeing my family turn nothing into everything they have is very inspiring,” Agalliu said. She saw this as an example of being rewarded for hard work.
“Seeing my family turn nothing into everything they have is very inspiring.”
Jessica with her parents and brother at the college's White Coat Ceremony on April 2.
Having immigrant parents came with its challenges, yet it helped mold Agalliu into the person she is today. As a young girl in Milwaukee, she remembers translating English for her father to help with his trucking business. These moments were very valuable to Agalliu and pushed her to be independent and step out of her comfort zone. Although her parents never went to college, they always encouraged Agalliu and her brother to do well in school. Agalliu’s family remained supportive throughout her education and relocated to Tampa when she began her undergraduate studies at the University of South Florida.
Despite their encouragement, Agalliu ’s parents did not have the ability to help her navigate the processes of higher education. Agalliu noted this is a common barrier for first-generation students. Her brother, who is seven years older, was a huge help when she started college.
“I leaned on my brother a lot, he’s like a third parent to me,” Agalliu said.
Agalliu did not always know she wanted to go into pharmacy. She majored in health care administration before switching to a pre-pharmacy track. The health care administration major left her unchallenged, and she sought out real-world experience in health care. When Agalliu began shadowing in a hospital setting, she saw the impact pharmacy had on patient care and she was hooked.
Agalliu will graduate with her Pharm.D. degree in 2023. She aspires to complete her degree not only for herself but to contribute to her family’s achievements.
As a young girl growing up in rural Guyana, Hemita Bhagwandass faced long odds in going to college. Education was difficult to access in the poor South American country and neither of her parents finished high school. Her tiny village was surrounded by rice fields and featured only one road — but it was from that pathway that she started a two-decade journey toward becoming a graduate of the University of Florida College of Pharmacy.
In 2003, Bhagwandass moved with her family to the British Virgin Islands. A few years later, they moved to the United States Virgin Islands, where she landed a technician job working in a local pharmacy. She learned to process medication orders and became a trusted source of information for customers. Multiple pharmacists encouraged her to move to the U.S. for training, but the thought of attending college in a new country seemed overwhelming.
“As a first-generation student living in the Virgin Islands, I had no idea how to apply to college,” Bhagwandass said. “It was scary at times and challenging to understand the admissions and financial aid process without having someone to rely upon for support.”
Bhagwandass spent several years researching college admissions online and saving her money.
In 2015, she enrolled in Florida Southwestern State College in Fort Myers to begin her pre-pharmacy course requisites. She printed off the college requirements to attend the UF College of Pharmacy and would check a course off the list every time she completed a class.
“There were times when I didn’t know
if I could fulfill this dream … Graduating from the UF College of Pharmacy is the highlight of my life.”
A dean at Florida Southwestern State College eventually referred her to Debbie Robinson, coordinator of admissions, recruitment and diversity at the UF College of Pharmacy. The connection proved beneficial almost immediately, as Bhagwandass now had an ally to help her navigate the admissions process at UF.
“Debbie was instrumental in making sure I was on the right path,” Bhagwandass said. “I may have been a step behind when I enrolled in the UF College of Pharmacy, but I quickly caught up thanks to all the resources the college provides.”
During her four years as a pharmacy student, Bhagwandass immersed herself in the pharmacy college experience. She served as a student ambassador, worked at the UF Center for Quality Medication Management, participated in career fairs and the Student Organization Annual Retreat and volunteered at multiple college events, including white coat ceremonies and commencement. Along every step of her journey, Bhagwandass demonstrated how a first-generation student from rural Guyana can overcome long odds to become a pharmacy college graduate.
“There were times when I didn’t know if I could fulfill this dream,” Bhagwandass said. “I wanted to come to UF, and I wanted to be a pharmacist more than anything else. Graduating from the UF College of Pharmacy is the highlight of my life.”
Hemita with her mother, Sheila Baychu
Justin Crespo grew up in Miami with Cuban-born parents. They never went to college and instead joined the military. He did not come from an affluent family, and he remembers moving around many times during his childhood. Despite growing up less fortunate, he always knew he wanted to go into the medical field and had a dream of becoming a doctor.
“I remember watching the television show ER with my mom as a young kid,” Crespo said. “I saw those characters and knew I wanted to become a doctor.”
Crespo had big dreams, but he wasn’t sure how to get there. He admits he wasn’t the best student in high school, and he had little guidance with higher education. In high school, Crespo worked at a local pharmacy, before taking a pharmacy tech job at a hospital. His brief tenure in pharmacy would be a pivotal moment in Crespo’s career, though he didn’t know it at the time. His supervisor at the local pharmacy taught him about the profession and encouraged him to study different medications.
Justin and his wife, Lauren
“I started reading about all the different medications, and I had a shoebox full of prescription monographs I collected from that job,” Crespo said.
He eventually joined the army reserves and worked for five years as a paramedic. Despite having a stable occupation, he could not shake the desire to become a pharmacist, so he went back to school. Crespo excelled in college, getting straight-A grades, and his previous supervisor at the pharmacy wrote him a recommendation letter for pharmacy school 15 years later.
“Take it upon yourself to navigate higher education — don’t let the unknown paralyze you. You may surprise yourself with what you can achieve.”
“My advice for first-generation students is: Take it upon yourself to navigate higher education — don’t let the unknown paralyze you. You may surprise yourself with what you can achieve,” Crespo said.
Crespo adopted a growth mindset that has never stopped even into adulthood. Today, at 32, he is poised to become the first college graduate in his family, when he graduates with a Pharm.D. in 2025.
Benny Zhang, a rising third-year Pharm.D. student at the Orlando campus, shares his family’s adversities, so other first-generation students can find motivation for success. Zhang’s parents moved from Kai Ping, China, to Miami before he was born. Despite having cultural and language barriers, his parents worked hard to make ends meet and raise their family in South Florida.
“My parents were motivated to have a better life and became very work-driven,” Zhang said.
His parents also prioritized education and its importance, but school was not always seamless for Zhang. Because Cantonese is Zhang’s first language, he started school later and was enrolled in Florida’s English for Speakers of Other Languages program. Zhang didn’t let this set him back, instead, he became motivated to succeed in school. He describes his path to pharmacy as “a calling” because of multiple anecdotes throughout his life.
Benny at the college's White Coat Ceremony on April 2.
Zhang first gained a career interest in health care from observing his mother’s adversity with her own health. When he was young, a pharmacist treated his mom with extra care while she was in the hospital.
“It was the pharmacist who noticed my mom was having a drug-induced hypersensitivity reaction to phenytoin and that was impactful for me,” Zhang said.
Zhang attended the University of Central Florida as an undergraduate and joined the UCF Pre-Pharmacy Society. This experienced amplified his interest and involvement in pharmacy. He began working as a pharmacy technician after graduation, and seeing patients on a day-to-day basis and listening to their questions, implored Zhang to pursue a Doctor of Pharmacy degree.
Acquiring a degree as a first-generation student makes Zhang reflect on his parents who immigrated from China.
“When I think about being a first-generation student, I think of the opportunities I have that my parents didn’t have, and I don’t want to waste that opportunity,” he said.
After graduation, he wants to pursue a residency to further his skill set and knowledge to provide the best care possible for his future patients.
“My biggest advice for a first-generation student interested in pharmacy is don’t let obstacles stand in your way — take the leap of faith when it is presented to you.”
Don’t let obstacles stand in
your way — take the leap of
faith when it is presented to you.”
