Hello. My name is Benika Islam as you can already tell from
the title of this blog. I am a senior with a Planned Program major. My major is
focused on Pharmaceutical Science and I hope to apply to OU Pharmacy School
this fall. I love my country music. Especially the country men like my man, Luke Bryan. Man, what I would do if he ever dedicated a song for me only.
I graduated from a small Boone dock of a high-school and I
could not be more grateful since I grew more of a family than friends. I always
planned on coming to OU for my undergrad ever since I could remember. I was
born and raised in Moore OKC but moved to Edmond in 5th grade and
now I live in Norman for the past 4 years. So you could say that I know my way
around the cities.
I am a Pharmacy technician at Walgreens for the past 2 years so I have somewhat
of an experience of what I want my future to look like. I love talking to all
the patients about their medication and their health problems. The reason
behind choosing Pharmacy as my future career is my mom.
My mom is a wonderful human being as most kids say but my
mom is my inspiration. I remember the exact day and every detail when my mom
went into a coma and lost both her kidneys. I was eight years old so it
impacted me a lot. Thankfully with the grace of God, she woke up and was able
to receive a donor for one kidney within a year. During that year I was a
bystander in all her operations and surgeries and before she knew it she was
taking almost 40 pills a day. Being the oldest of two, I sought that it was my
responsibility to take care of her. I would help her with all of the information
of when, how, and the quantity of all her medications so it was one less thing
she had to worry about. In the end, my family is the most important factor in
my life and it was always be.
Personal Picture with mom. (Taken August 29, 2015)
Besides that heartfelt story ( swear I did not mean to get that deep), I have many other factors that
I often take for granted. I love cooking. Growing up in the south and having a
Bangladeshi background, recipes were very strange but the taste was incredible.
Cooking is the one thing that I can do to relieve my stress almost immediately.
My roommates always ask, “So if Pharmacy doesn’t work out, are you going into
Culinary School?” My snarky reply is always, “I have hobbies and interests.” My
other hobbies consist of doing free makeup and hair for special events for my
friends. As well as releasing my creative juices by sketching random objects or
painting sceneries. I also found a love for writing. I used to be a horrible speller in the younger days but now it's actually exhilarating also because spell check is awesome.
Truth is, I never thought about going into Art, Culinary, or
Cosmetology school because I don’t like the idea of making my hobbies into a job.
My interest is and will be in the health field and I will do almost anything to
get there.
Hello Benika! Thank you for sharing so much in your introduction. I cannot imagine the amount of strength you must have after enduring the situation with your mother. You must be an incredible person with incredible compassion and patience. I can certainly see how such character traits would benefit you as a pharmacist. You also appear to be quite artistic. I have a feeling that you and my mother would get along for this reason. She also enjoys expressing herself through art, whether it be on the canvas or in the kitchen (culinary art is still art, right?).
ReplyDeleteWith all of these talents, I look forward to seeing your final project. Which of your traits will shine through in the stories you tell?
Hey Benika! I genuinely loved your introduction. Thank you so much for sharing such an inspirational story about your mom. I really loved the way you handled such a difficult situation. Also, we share the same hobby! I love doing hair and make up on others too. If IT does not work out for, I would like to pursue with that field for sure.
ReplyDeleteHi Benika! I first of want to tell you how much I look up to you for all of the strength you have. Having a sick parent cannot be easy and you seemed to take the challenge and run with it. I think the reasoning for your major and the reasoning behind not wanting to make your hobbies a career made complete sense. I also enjoy cooking and find it stress relieving. I can't wait to get to know you more throughout the semester.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, Benika, what a dramatic story about your mother! What an education that must have been when you were still just a little girl. It sounds like you will bring a dedication to pharmacy and an understanding of people's lives that will really help you to do a great job! I live in a very small rural town, and we are lucky that there is a small pharmacy right here in the town, run and owned by someone who lives here. The people who work there know everybody because it is such a small town, and they are always so helpful. I am a fan of pharmacists, and I am glad OU has a program that can help you get on track for that career. Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteHey Benika! Nice to meet you! Pharmacy is a great business to get into! My dad is a pharmacist and is currently working as a pharmaceutical salesman so I have a lot of respect for the profession and know a lot of what you will be going through! I am so glad your story turned out for the better! What a blessing to still get to have your mom by your side! I love food but don't know if I have ever had Bangladeshi food. Do you have any recipes you would recommend? I am willing to try!
ReplyDeleteHello Benika, its a pleasure to meet you. I love how important your family is to you, and I hope all is well with your mother. Honestly, you just sound like an all around great person. As far as pre- pharm, you sound well on your way; your going to be where you want to be in life in no time! I too am from Edmond; its a great place to grow (you get the pun!)
ReplyDeleteBenika,
ReplyDeleteFirst, I want to say good luck getting into the Pharmacy program, I hope you are successful. I have also been planning on coming to OU for petroleum engineering for as long as I can remember, both my parents and my only higher educated grandparent came to college here. I also agree with not always making your hobby into a job, life is all about balance. Thanks for sharing.
Andrew
Hi Benika!
ReplyDeleteThat is really cool that you want to go to Pharmacy school. I've always thought that it would be an interesting field to study. Much like you, I never wanted to go to school for something that I love doing for fun. I feel that the first way to kill a love for a hobby is by making it a profession. It was nice meeting you via blogging and I look forward to reading many of your stories this semester.
Hello Benika!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love that you can separate your future job from your hobbies! I love sewing/crocheting, and when I was about 12 I was convinced to start selling things I made. Before I knew it, I had made over $100, and was behind on multiple orders. Suddenly, my passion wasn't fun, because I was forced to do it. And that is why I am an engineering major, haha.
I truly enjoyed your story about your mother, and how she was a part of how you decided to go into pharmaceutical school. I wish you the best, you will do great!
What's up Benika!? I haven't seen you in forever, what a small world it is huh? I hope everything is going well! I'm glad to see you are pursuing such a prestigious career. I think you will really enjoy that field. Good luck in the rest of your studies. I look forward to reading your stories throughout the rest of this class.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, good luck with pharmacy school applications. It's so cool to see all of us doing grown up, graduate school things! Secondly, I think the relationship you have with your mom is incredibly sweet, and I admire that you look to her for inspiration.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I am not surprised you are still interested in cooking. Do you remember that one time we tried to make fudge at your house, but it didn't really go so like we planned? I'm glad that situation didn't take away your motivation.
Hello, Benika! I absolutely love your name! It’s gorgeous, and I’m jealous mine is just plain ol’ Jessica. It’s wonderful, that you have a set goal and do anything that will help you with succeeding. I also, have dreamed of going to OU for a long time, it’s nice to have our dreams come true isn’t it? Your mother is a truly a brave woman, and you are selfless it’s really wonderful to be classmates with you. I never thought of being any other field besides something creative. So, we are definitely on different ends of the spectrum there. I was an English major before I transferred to OU, now I’m a Liberal Studies in Arts and plan on going to get my Masters in museum studies. OU opened up an entire new world for me, made me fascinated by different cultures, art, stories, and I want to gather all that knowledge up and give it to others. Which sounds silly, but I love learning about culture and art and I like sharing what I know. The medical field is something I could never fathom.
ReplyDeleteHi Benika, it is nice to meet you. You have such an incredible story about your mother. I cannot even begin to imagine the struggles that she has had to go through, but luckily she has a wonderful daughter like you to look out for her. I hope she is doing well these days. I really hope you accomplish your goals of getting into pharmacy school this fall. Good luck with the rest of this semester.
ReplyDeleteHi Benika! That is really cool that you are interested in pharmaceuticals and I hope the best for your career. I think it is awesome that you are already a pharmacy technician at Walgreens. Wow, I cannot believe your story about your mom. That is crazy and you are so blessed to be able to have your mom. I love cooking as well and it is a great way to relieve stress like you said.
ReplyDeleteHi Benika, It is nice to meet you. I also love country music! I think I lean a little more towards the classics than the songs on the radio now but they are both good. Family is also a huge part in my life so I think it is great that you are learning so much that could help your mother.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to reading more from you
-Sara
Benika,
ReplyDeleteIt is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I can completely see how the ordeal with your mom gave you a penchant for pharmacy work. The fact that you are already working as a pharmacy tech is an excellent idea. It will give you the experience you need once you have the degree to have a jump off point. I can so see how the Bangladeshi side can mix with southern cooking!
Hi Benika!
ReplyDeleteIt's awesome that you want to work the pharmaceutical field. Personally, I avoid anything related to health and medicine as much as possible, so it's great to see someone working in that area. I'm glad to hear that your mom made it through the coma. My dad almost lost his arm from a staph infection when I was a kid, so I can definitely relate to worries of having a hospitalized parent. Also, Bangladeshi/Southern food sounds absolutely amazing!
Hi Benika,
ReplyDeleteIt is nice to meet you. It’s not often that I encounter another person who is a Planned Program major. I usually have to go in depth in explaining what Planned Program is and how I got into it. Your introduction hit home. I’m glad to hear that your mother is doing better. Good luck with your applications for pharmacy school and on your future endeavors!
Hi, Benika!
ReplyDeleteWow! What a powerful reason to attend pharmacy school! I love when life-changing situations like that end up bringing out incredible strength and perseverance in people. While your mother is definitely an inspiration, it sounds like she is lucky to have such a determined and helpful daughter. Also, the picture of you guys is adorable!
On another note, it sounds like you are an incredibly creative person! I too love cooking, but I tend to play it pretty safe with my recipes. I bet your Bangladesh/southern mixes are fantastic!
It was so nice getting to know you, and I hope the rest of your semester goes really well!
Hey, Benika! It's nice to meet you. Wow, what an incredible reason so have joined the health field! I really respect pharmacists because people can be so impatient, demanding, or just plain stupid to pharmacists. Additionally, the job seems difficult to me. I would be worried about putting the wrong medicine in the wrong bottle for anything.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm glad you're mom is okay! The story was so intense, but I am so glad it ended happily.
I also think it's so cool that you have so many diversified interests! I also like to cook. Hey, it's always good to have a backup job!
Hey Benika,
ReplyDeleteYour drive is very inspiring. Your passion for pharmacy is really cool to see. I'm a biochemistry major, so I know many people who want to go into the field, but I have not met one person who is as passionately driven as you are.
I have to admit; I like pretty much any form of music other than country. But I have to admire you once again for being yourself.
Do you often fuse bengladeshi and southern recipes? That sounds so very interesting. I have no idea what to imagine even, but I bet it's very tasty.
Hey Benika,
ReplyDeleteYour drive is very inspiring. Your passion for pharmacy is really cool to see. I'm a biochemistry major, so I know many people who want to go into the field, but I have not met one person who is as passionately driven as you are.
I have to admit; I like pretty much any form of music other than country. But I have to admire you once again for being yourself.
Do you often fuse bengladeshi and southern recipes? That sounds so very interesting. I have no idea what to imagine even, but I bet it's very tasty.
It really caught my attention that you love to talk to all of the patients about their medication and their health problems – that is exactly how all pharmacists should be and I think it is an indicator that you are making the right career choice. I cannot believe your story about your mom. That sounds so traumatic but I am glad that it made you a stronger person and who are today. Nice to “meet” you!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love your inspirational story about your mother's illness and how it drives your educational ambitions! University of Oklahoma's pharmacy program would be lucky to have you as a student. And it sounds like you're definitely on the right track. But it sounds like you have a lot of fun stuff that keeps you busy besides just school and work, too.
ReplyDeleteHey Benika!
ReplyDeleteI have to say that your introduction is so interesting. I thought your story about your mother was heartwarming and so inspirational. I think that your career as a pharmacist will be one that is lead by passion because you are driven by your mother's story. You sound like you really are raring to go and you will go so far with this drive that you have!
Hi Benika!
ReplyDeleteYou have a really awesome story of why you want to be a pharmacist! I am so glad that you mother is well now. I bet that was really hard, but that is awesome that you turned that experience into something to help others. I have two best friends, one of them is starting rotations in pharmacy school in the fall and the other friend just got accepted to pharmacy school. So, I definitely understand the life-style of pharmacists! Good luck to all your endeavors!
Benika,
ReplyDeleteThis class is coming to an end but I just realized I never got to read your introduction and oh my goodness, I learned so many new things about you! Thank God your mother is okay now and you dealt beautifully with it at such a young age. I also didn’t know you like cooking (*ahemcookformesometimeahem*). One thing I did know was that your hair and makeup are always on point so no wonder you do it for others. Let’s catch up sooooon! Love you!
Hi Benika,
ReplyDeleteI love makeup as well and I couldn’t agree with you more in not turning your hobbies into a job. I don’t want to lose the passion I have for something, especially if it becomes monotonous. Even though, you didn’t mean to go “that deep”, I am so glad you shared your story about your mother and that you had the ability to stay strong for the rest of your family. Good luck!