COMMENCEMENT 2022

STUDENTS

COMMENCEMENT 2022: Celebrating Achievement and Embracing the Future

The School of Pharmacy honored its 115th graduating class on May 13 before an audience of more than 2,000 family, friends, faculty and staff. Dean Vassilios Papadopoulos presided over the ceremony and presented degrees to the newly minted pharmacists, pharmacologists, pharmaceutical scientists, health economists and regulatory experts. Daryl Davies, associate dean of undergraduate education, presented the bachelor of science degrees.

George Scangos, CEO of Vir Biotechnology, served as keynote speaker and described the opportunities and challenges that lay ahead for the Class of 2022. “You are entering a world that is dynamic and changing,” said Scangos, who has been named one of the 25 most influential people in biopharma. “The facts you know now are a fraction of what you’ll need in the future.”

He encouraged the graduates to be continually curious, think critically and move forward confidently. “Stay humble when things are going great; stay resolute when things are not,” he said. “Remember why all of us are doing what we’re doing: to improve the lives of patients who need help.”

Papadopoulos urged graduates to consider the field’s noble heritage while embracing the mission to transform the face of pharmacy. “Today we look forward, not backward,” he said. “As you enter a world of possibilities, changes and uncertainties, always have a purpose that will guide you.”

George Scangos

STUDENT RECOGNITION AWARDS

The following graduates garnered USC Student Recognition Awards for academic excellence, outstanding leadership and significant contributions to the university community.

USC Graduate Student Awards—

Order of Arete (pictured left) Samara White, PharmD Michelle Kalu, PharmD, PhD Pharmaceutical and Translational Sciences Jafar Essayli, PharmD Jasmine Ventenilla, PharmD Daniella Veloria, PharmD

Undergraduate Student Awards

Evan Makhani, BS Pharmacology and Drug Development George Emad Michael, BS Pharmacology and Drug Development and BA Biological Sciences Neysa Sanghavi, BS Pharmacology and Drug Development and BS Human Biology Samantha Grace Skinner, BS Pharmacology and Drug Development and BA Biological Sciences Harlan David Tsui, BS Pharmacology and Drug Development and Progressive MS Management of Drug Development Kristin Wong, BS Pharmacology and Drug Development