by Natalia Kirychuk, Student Public Relations Writer
Ten years after its founding, the Cedarville University School of Pharmacy will graduate its fourth Doctor of Pharmacy class on Saturday, May 4. The 34-member class will participate in an official hooding ceremony on Friday, May 3, where each student will received an olive green doctoral hood.
The hood is a part of the academic attire pharmacy students wear during graduation. The hooding ceremony will take place at 1:30 p.m. in the Jeremiah Chapel, with a reception to follow.
“It is hard to believe that this is our fourth class of Doctor of Pharmacy graduates and marks 10 years since we started the school of pharmacy,” said Dr. Marc Sweeney, dean of the school of pharmacy. “The class of 2019 is another very gifted and talented group, and I look forward to seeing how God uses them.”
— Ankit Pandav
Ankit Pandav, from Grove City, Ohio, is one of the graduates who will participate in the ceremony. Prior to attending Cedarville University, Pandav served for six years in the Ohio Army National Guard, including a deployment to Afghanistan.
"I am extremely blessed to be here,” said Pandav. “I have had a humble beginning, from the small poverty-stricken village in India to my time in the U.S. Army and the deployment to Afghanistan to Cedarville, which is nothing short of God working in my life. I am thankful for all of the opportunities throughout my journey and, most importantly, I am very thankful for the faculty and staff members.
“As I move forward, I would consider myself successful if I can be as half as caring, humble and down to earth as my faculty and staff members,” Pandav continued. “I look forward to passing on my knowledge and experience so others can avoid the same mistakes I made and be better than me and achieve more than I ever have."
During his time at Cedarville, Pandav founded the Veteran Outreach Committee of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), co-chaired the Operation Diabetes Committee of the APhA and founded Cedarville University’s Military Service Organization. After graduation, he will go on to a residency in health system pharmacy administration and leadership at the Cleveland Clinic Akron General Hospital.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 4,193 undergraduate, graduate and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, including its doctor of pharmacy program, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.