OAKWOOD, VA (APRIL 13, 2023) — Ayomipo Adeyemo has been selected by his peers at the Appalachian College of Pharmacy as the student speaker at ACP’s commencement exercises for the Class of 2023, set for May 6.
Adeyemo, who is the Student Government Association president for the Class of 2023, will join third generation pharmacist Joel Thornbury, of Pikeville, Ky., in speaking at the event. It was announced last week that Thornbury will deliver the commencement address.
“We were pleased to learn the Class of 2023 selected Ayo as their student speaker for our commencement exercises next month,” said ACP Provost and Dean Susan Mayhew. “Ayo has been an exemplary student at ACP and we are so proud of his accomplishments while here studying with us. We look forward to following his career as he graduates and puts his Doctor of Pharmacy degree to good use.”
A native of Lagos, Nigeria, Adeyemo earned a Bachelor of Science degree in marine biology from the University of Lagos, Nigeria in 2011 and in 2014 came to the United States to Study pharmacy.
“I quickly learned I could not afford it, so I did a Master’s in environmental science instead and got a job in geospatial analysis with Locusview Solutions in Chicago, Illinois and later as a quality assurance technician for Waters of America in St. Louis, Missouri,” Adeyemo said of his decision to spend some time in the workforce to earn enough money to pursue pharmacy as a profession.
He earned his master’s degree from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, Ill., in 2016 as he continued to work and in 2018, after the birth of his daughter, Sayeeda, he joined the United States Army with the hope the Army would help pay some of the costs of his continuing education.
“I still wanted to chase my dream,” Adeyemo said of his desire to study pharmacy.
In 2019, he decided the time was right to apply, so he researched all available, accelerated pharmacy programs in the U.S. Ultimately, he chose ACP for its three-year accelerated program and noted while the program has been challenging at the accelerated pace, it has also been rewarding. At the same time he has been attending pharmacy school, he earned an MBA through Strayer University. He completed that degree last year. He also continues to maintain his U.S. Army Reserves status. He is currently a Specialist (E-4) in the reserves.
While at ACP, in addition to serving as SGA president, Adeyemo has been a member of Rho Chi, Phi Delta Chi, National Community Pharmacists Association, American Society of Health System Pharmacists and the ACP Compounding Club. He also currently the Diversity Task Force president and serves as a student ambassador for ACP.
“After graduation from the Appalachian College of Pharmacy, I hope to break into industry pharmacy either in the field of research and development, regulatory affairs, or drug safety management,” Adeyemo said.
ACP’s commencement exercises and hooding ceremonies will be held on May 6 at 10 a.m. on the ACP campus.
ABOUT THE APPALACHIAN COLLEGE OF PHARMACY: The Appalachian College of Pharmacy is the only three-year Doctor of Pharmacy program in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Founded in 2003, the college accepted its first students in 2005. It is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Its mission is to cultivate a learning community committed to education, community outreach and the professional development of pharmacists. Its graduate pharmacists are now practicing throughout the United States.
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