Thirteen Hispanic Pharmacy Students Receive Scholarships Resulting from HCEP Designation

By Lynn Lopez, MBA

In October 2022, Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy’s Hispanic Center of Excellence in Pharmacy (HCEP) was invited to participate in the 26th Annual LLU Hispanic Alumni of Loma Linda (HALL) Scholarship Banquet. For the past 25 years, the HALL organization has supported Hispanic students and alumni through generous gifts from donors.

Included in the banquet programming was a presentation by Dr. Willie Davis, Program Director of HCEP, describing LLUSP’s $3.4-million Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant and how the money is used to support several Hispanic pharmacy students.

After some delicious food, Paraguayan harp music from world-renowned soloist Alfredo Rolando Ortiz, and an inspirational speech from alumnus Dr. Hugo Leon, it was time to award scholarships from HALL, the Hernandez Endowment, the North American Division (NAD) of the SDA Church, and the Hispanic Graduate program to students from each of the eight LLU schools. School of Pharmacy HALL scholarship recipients were first-year students Ariadna Cervantes and Fabiola Jiménez Pérez. Later in the evening, Dr. Davis and Lynn Lopez, DEI

Coordinator for LLUSP, announced the school’s first thirteen HCEP Scholarship recipients: Daniel Anaya (P1), Katherine Reynaldo (P1), Laura Abrego (P1), Briana Ramirez (P2), Rebeca Alejo Vega (P2), Diego Aguilar (P2), Clarissa Garcia (P3), Sasha Rodriguez (P3), Lynnette Valencia (P3), Amber Stroffolino (P4), Jaimee Carrillo (P4), Natasha Martinez Sepulveda (P4) and Nancy Zelaya (P4).

In total, twenty-seven Hispanic students from across campus and one alumnus were recognized and celebrated during the event.