At graduation, Class of 2025 reflects on perseverance and the support that got them through
May 16, 2025
More than 100 VCU School of Pharmacy students – surrounded by faculty, staff and more than 500 family members, friends and loved ones – graduated as part of the Class of 2025 at our May 9 Hooding and Diploma Ceremony.
[See our full list of awards here; this list of awards can also be found below.]
“‘Falling down is a part of life. It’s getting back up that’s living.’ This quote by José Harris gives new meaning to what it means to persevere,” Dean Kelechi C. Ogbonna, Pharm.D., MSHA, told the audience at the auditorium of St. Paul’s Baptist Church in Henrico County and the hundreds more watching via livestream. “My ask of all of you in your future endeavors is not to focus on success or failure – but instead take the time to celebrate the wins and forge ahead when it matters the most.”
Class of 2025 President Maiya Pencile, Pharm.D., shared a lesson, inspired by her grandmother, that held special meaning for the Class of 2025.
“‘Give people their flowers while they can smell them,’” she quoted, sharing the importance of this sentiment with her fellow graduates. “Often, we go through life taking for granted the beautiful things that are around us and the time that we share. I want to encourage you all … to be intentional about expressing your appreciation. Tell someone you’re proud of them. Thank them for showing up for you. Maybe remind them how important they are to you.”
Throughout the ceremony, speakers, including Pencile and Ogbonna, reflected on the impact and meaningful connections the late Abigail Metzger, a member of the Class of 2025 who died unexpectedly in 2022, built with our community. The class honored her memory by saving her a seat with graduation regalia and a potted plant filled with daffodils. Pencile remembered her as a “kind, confident and incredibly smart young woman” and thanked the Metzger family, who later joined Ogbonna on stage to accept Abby’s diploma, for “the beautiful person that you raised.”
Sharing appreciation with loved ones was a common theme for the Class of 2025. Silas Contaifer, Ph.D., the graduate student speaker chosen by his peers, considered the hard work of the scientists around him, but more than that, the belief that those who are closest to them have shown in them over the course of their pharmaceutical sciences and pharmaceutical engineering Ph.D. studies.
“We could not have reached this point without our family and friends, who provided us with the love and support that carried us through every late night and early morning,” said Contaifer, reflecting on his journey. “They were the ones who answered our phone calls when experiments failed, who watched us rehearse for presentations, and who celebrated every small victory, even when they didn’t fully understand the scientific terms; they smiled with us when we said, ‘This is a breakthrough.’”
Pharm.D. student speaker Katie Visconti, Pharm.D., shared her takeaways from completing pharmacy school as a mother of five young children. She leaned on her support system, she said, and she also kept showing up while reminding herself that “life is full of hard choices – choose your hard.”
“Everything we choose to do in life is hard in its own way. It is hard to work out each day, but it is also hard to be unhealthy. It is hard to attend class when you are exhausted and want to sleep, but it’s also hard to find time to make it up later. It was hard to do pharmacy school with kids, but it was also hard to imagine living a life where I didn’t chase my dreams,” Visconti said. “So, remember why you started this journey in the first place and let that reignite the fire and determination inside you as you navigate through the challenges that lie ahead.”
Keynote speaker Tiffani Bailey Lash, Ph.D., Scientific Initiative Leader at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), reflected on the changes we’re seeing in connected health care – the digital connectivity that allows for more personalized patient care – and how the Class of 2025 will shape those changes for the benefit of patients.
“[The future of pharmacy] looks like you — the innovators, the connectors, the relentless caregivers who will not wait for change — you will create it. Lead with integrity. Serve with empathy. Embrace the tools of tomorrow without forgetting the humanity that brought you here,” Lash said. “Rise boldly into this future. Be curious. Be courageous. Be connected. Because the future of pharmacy isn’t coming — it’s already here. And it has your name on it.”
As part of the ceremony, Dean Ogbonna presented Sunny Makwana, Pharm.D., with the school’s Dean’s Award. This award, sponsored by The Rosenthal Foundation in honor of former Dean John Ruggerio, recognizes a student who has demonstrated consistent outstanding achievement and unselfish devotion to their class, school, university and profession throughout their four years of study. Makwana, who served as P1 and P2 class president before serving as student body president in 2023-24, is earning a dual-degree and will continue his studies at the School of Pharmacy to earn his Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences.
A full list of Graduate Student awards, Pharm.D. Class of 2025 awards, Outstanding Preceptor of the Year and Teacher of the Year awards can be found below.
VCU School of Pharmacy Spring 2025 Awards
2025 GRADUATE STUDENT AWARDS
- Charles T. Rector and Thomas W. Rorrer, Jr. Dean’s Award for Excellence in Graduate Study: Sagun Poudel (advised by Qingguo Xu, Ph.D.)
- William H. Barr Graduate Student Scholar Award: Dickson Donu (advised by Yana Cen, Ph.D.)
- Saraswathi Scholarship for Excellence in Pharmaceutical Sciences: Sarita Pandit (advised by Yan Zhang, Ph.D.)
- Peter Byron Assistantship Award: Raneem Aldaqqa (advised by Sandro da Rocha, Ph.D.)
- J. Doyle Smith Award: Dickson Donu
- John Wood Award: Surendra Poudel (advised by Dr. Xu)
- Victor A. Yanchick Award: Emily Miller (advised by Mary Peace McRae, Pharm.D., Ph.D.)
- Best Seminar in Medicinal Chemistry: Rasajna Madhusudana (advised by Dr. Cen)
- Pharmaceutics Leadership Award: Sagun Poudel
- Medicinal Chemistry Best Publication Award: Yiming Xu (advised by Shijun Zhang, Ph.D.)
- Medicinal Chemistry Best TA Awards: Albert Opare and Sarita Pandit (advised by Yan Zhang, Ph.D.), Mukesh Kumari (advised by Umesh Desai, Ph.D.) and Grace Rilee (advised by Jiong Li, Ph.D.)
PHARM.D. CLASS OF 2025 AWARDS
- Outstanding Patient Care Award: Daniel Deanhofer
- Patient Counseling Award: Josephine Gresko
- Award of Excellence in Pharmacy Communications: Isaiah R. Hicks
- Research Excellence Award: Joanna Nguyen
- Emswiller Award for Leadership Achievement: Claire Nickell
- Outstanding Leadership Award: Maiya Pencile
- Community Practice Achievement Award: Genesis Rosas
- Technology Excellence Award: Christina Kim
- Distinguished Service Award: Anna Dlott
- Professionalism Award: Katherine Visconti
- Unity in Action Award: Nada Arthur
- Excellence in Advocacy and Health Policy: Saad Shafi
- Excellence in the Promotion of Pharmacy: Virginia Mele
- Award for Excellence in Public Health: Mmesoma Azi
- Community Engagement Excellence Award: Arleigh Newman
- Interprofessional Practice and Collaborative Care Excellence Award: Emily Baraclough
- Award for Academic Excellence in Pharmacotherapy: Brandon Ho
- Award for Academic Excellence in Pharmacoeconomics & Health Outcomes: Jimin Jun
- Award for Academic Excellence in Pharmaceutics: Sochun Lim
- Award for Academic Excellence in Medicinal Chemistry: Alexandra Lewis
- Geriatric Pharmacy Award: Emma Ager
- School of Pharmacy Achievement Award: Allison Gallagher
- Alumni Award: Kristen Jackson
- USPHS Excellence in Public Health Pharmacy Award: Josephine Gresko
- Viatris Excellence in Pharmacy Award: MorganRhea Hoffman
- Rx Partnership Don Price Award: Maria DePonte
- ASHP Student Leadership Award: Nicholas DiStefano
- Abby Metzger Academic Excellence Award: Emily Baraclough, Vivian Do, Josephine Gresko, Brandon Ho
- Dean’s Award: Sunny Makwana
2025 OUTSTANDING PRECEPTOR AWARDS
- Dr. John Huffman, Pharmacy Director, Encompass Health at UVa in Charlottesville, VA
- Dr. Markus Miller, Pharmacy Manager with CVS/Target in Glen Allen, VA
- Dr. Erin Zacholski, VCUH Massey Cancer Center and VCU School of Pharmacy in Richmond Virginia
- Dr. Katie Smithwick, Pharmacy Specialist in Psychiatry with VCU Health System in Richmond Virginia
- Dr. Marcus Kaplan, Pharmacy Specialist in Emergency Medicine, Sentara Norfolk Hospital in Norfolk, VA
- Dr. Trey Fuller, Chief Pharmacist, with the VA Dept of Corrections in Richmond, VA
- Dr. Joshua Hildebrand, Pharmacy Specialist in Solid Organ Transplant at Inova Fairfax Hospital, In Fairfax, VA
- Dr. Juan Vargas, Pharmacist in Charge with Kroger in Mechanicsville, VA
- Dr. Melissa West, Pharmacy Specialist in Pediatric Oncology with Inova Fairfax Hospital, Fairfax, VA
Partner Recognition Award: University of Virginia Health System
Preceptor of the Year: Dr. Tana Kiefer, Director of Clinical Services at Bremo Pharmacy
2025 TEACHER OF THE YEAR AWARD
Top 5 Nominees:
- Dr. Lauren Caldas
- Dr. Cait Gibson
- Dr. Anne Masich
- Dr. Joseph McClay
- Dr. Erin Zacholski
2025 Bertha Rolfe Teacher of the Year: Cait Gibson