Author, Bowl of Hygeia Award winner and Inside Business Top Forty Under 40 honoree Jade L. Ranger, Pharm.D., says that, when she was in pharmacy school, she didn't expect to become a business owner and a co-founder of Williamsburg's first Black-owned pharmacy – “that's something my husband can take credit for,” she shares with a warm laugh.

But the couple knew they could do more for their community, Dr. Ranger said. So, in 2019, they took the leap with no playbook. And, in 2023, their business expanded even further, and, again, there was no template.

"So, I think I can safely say that I know a thing or two about moving forward, not in the absence of fear, but despite it," the commencement speaker said. "If I had let fear paralyze me, I would have stuck with the status quo. I would have stayed in my lane. I wouldn't have decided to break the mold. I wouldn't have pursued a path where less than 2% of pharmacy owners across the nation look like me. I would have waited for a seat at the table instead of building my own and inviting others to join me.

"Because I was willing to step out on faith, I now wake up every single morning genuinely fulfilled in my career, making a real difference in my community and in the lives of my patients. Fear didn't stop me. No, it propelled me."

Dr. Ranger addressed more than 80 VCU School of Pharmacy students – surrounded by faculty, staff and more than 500 family members, friends and loved ones – ahead of their graduation as part of the Class of 2026 at our May 8 Hooding and Diploma Ceremony.

[See our full list of awards here; this list of awards can also be found below.]

“You’ve spent years mastering information, building skills, and pushing through challenges,” Dr. Ranger told the audience at the auditorium of St. Paul’s Baptist Church in Henrico County and the hundreds more watching via livestream. “But while your training has prepared you with knowledge and expertise, what comes next will require something more. It will require judgment. It will require courage. It will require ownership. And the truth is, you may not feel ready.

“But readiness is not a feeling. It's a decision. You don’t become ready when the fear goes away. You become ready when you move forward anyway. And I want you to hold on to that, because it won't just apply today. It will show up repeatedly throughout your career. I know this because I've lived it.”

While sharing the class gift – new plants and décor for the lobby of the Smith Building “creating a space that reflects the growth, resilience, and community we have built here” –, Class of 2026 President Pin-Hsuan Wu, Pharm.D., shared a lesson from her international rotation at Taipei Medical University.

“‘For me, one of the most impactful experiences was my international rotation in Taiwan,” Wu shared. “Being in a different healthcare system, surrounded by a different language and culture, I was reminded of something simple: care is universal.

“Even when communication was not always easy, compassion still came through, through patience, listening, and small gestures. It showed me that what we do goes beyond clinical knowledge. It is about how we connect with people, no matter where we are. And that is something I see in all of you. No matter where we go next – whether it is across the country or somewhere else in the world – I know this class will continue to show up for others and make an impact.”

Ally Thompson, Ph.D., the graduate student speaker chosen by her peers, similarly spoke on being at a crossroads, acknowledging “change can be daunting,” said. But she took the moment to reflect on the resilience and persistence that she and her fellow graduate students have practiced during moments that challenged them.

“For many of us this moment comes with questions about what’s next, and if I’m being honest, this isn’t the first time I’ve felt uncertain about my path. I actually failed my first general chemistry course in college, and at the time, I thought I needed to change direction,” said Thompson, who graduated with a concentration in medicinal chemistry. “Even more recently about a year and a half ago, I spent months running experiments that weren’t working.

“I felt like I’d tried everything and that my whole dissertation would not work out, but in those moments, it came down to one final thought: I’ve already come this far so I might as well try one more time. And somehow, that one more time was what made the difference.”

Longtime supporter of VCU School of Pharmacy, Donna Clevinger, Ph.D., a Mississippi State University professor and former administrator, honored her late father, Lawrence Earle Clevinger, a graduate of VCU School of Pharmacy's Class of 1947, ahead of the presentation of the newly-named Lawrence Earle Clevinger Preceptor of the Year Award.

“I grew up in the drug store, watching my father work at the pharmacy every day, and what my father loved best was being a preceptor,” Dr. Clevinger said. “He thought it was fabulous that he could still have a role to play at MCV, mentoring future pharmacists. … I do so appreciate preceptors, and I am here because I saw firsthand, year after year, what it took to be a preceptor.”

As part of the ceremony, Dean K.C. Ogbonna, Pharm.D., M.S.H.A., presented Erika Nixon-Lambert, 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.

Nixon-Lambert changed careers to pursue pharmacy and would become, as Dean Ogbonna stated while presenting the award, “one of the most formidable forces for positive change and student engagement that the school has ever seen.” Nixon-Lambert will take the next step in her career in pharmacy here at VCU School of Pharmacy, where she will complete her Community-Based Pharmacy Practice Residency at Bremo Pharmacy.

Rahil Syed, Pharm.D., the Pharm.D. student speaker selected by his classmates, discussed a moment that changed his life. Working as a seventh-grade teacher, he was feeling lost, so he decided to go to the beach for some rest and relaxation. He ran into the water without noticing the red “rip tide warning” flag, and he was far from shore when the waves began to take him under. But he kept swimming.

“Until finally, I felt the sandy shore beneath my feet. I stood up and looked to the sky to thank God for my life. And in those few seconds staring at the sky, I no longer felt lost. I came out of that water with two things on my heart. The first was to marry the love of my life. And for some reason,” Syed said, pretending to be confused for comedic effect, “God told me to apply to pharmacy school,” to an audience that laughed along with him.

He reminded his peers to keep swimming through life’s challenges, the waves and currents they face.

“One day,” he said, “you will look back at this moment the way I looked up at the sky that fateful day: grateful, clear, and realizing that you are exactly where you are supposed to be.”

A full list of Graduate Student awards, Pharm.D. Class of 2026 awards, Outstanding Preceptor Awards, Preceptor Partner Recognition, Lawrence Earle Clevinger Preceptor of the Year and Bertha Rolfe Teacher of the Year awards can be found below.

VCU School of Pharmacy Spring 2026 Awards

2026 GRADUATE STUDENT AWARDS

• Outstanding Medicinal Chemistry Teaching Assistant: Nikita Patel
• Medicinal Chemistry Service Award: Ally Thompson and Albert Opare
• Distinguish Scholarly Publications for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows (MEDC): Ally Thompson and Ennian Li
• ACS MEDI GSA Outstanding G2 Seminar in Medicinal Chemistry Award (MEDC): Mohammad Rifat Alam Maruf
• J. Doyle Smith Award (MEDC): Ally Thompson and Albert Opare
• V.A. Yanchick Award (DPOS): Dalia Al Saeedy
• Pharmaceutics Leadership Award (PCEU): Purnajai Srivijay Saravanan Vanaja
• John Wood Award (PCEU): Laerissa Reveil
• The Peter Byron Research Assistantship Award (PCEU): Surendra Poudel
• Jurgen Venitz Dual Degree Scholarship: Trey Halsey
• Werner Lowenthal Scholarship: Elise Burkhartzmeyer, Shiya Han and Sina Mahdiani
• Saraswathi Scholarship for Excellence in Pharmaceutical Sciences (GS): Dalia Al Saeedy
• William H. Barr Graduate Student Scholar Award: Laerissa Reveil
• Charles T. Rector and Thomas W. Rorrer Jr. Dean’s Award for Excellence in Graduate Study: Ally Thompson

PHARM.D. CLASS OF 2026 AWARDS

• Outstanding Patient Care Award: Ryan Weaver
• Patient Counseling Award: Kelly Nguyen
• Award of Excellence in Pharmacy Communications: Sabrina Reilly
• Research Award: Haley Bresnahan
• Emswiller Award for Leadership Achievement: Hailee Mickle
• Outstanding Leadership Award: Pin-Hsuan Wu
• Community Practice Achievement Award: Rebecca Reilly
• Technology Excellence Award: Rahil Syed
• Distinguished Service Award: Shawna Keane
• Professionalism Award: Jacqueline Ashby
• Excellence in Advocacy and Health Policy: Brian Velez
• Excellence in the Promotion of Pharmacy: Jheanelle Atkinson
• Award for Excellence in Public Health: Angela Gates
• Community Engagement Excellence Award: Hope Chesser
• Unity and Action Award: Sydni Paige
• Interprofessional Practice and Collaborative Care Excellence Award: Tiffany Crawford
• Award for Academic Excellence in Pharmacotherapy: Emily Nguyen
• Award for Academic Excellence in Pharmacoeconomics and Health Outcomes: Trevor Sproule
• Award for Academic Excellence in Pharmaceutics: Rui Lyu
• Award for Academic Excellence in Medicinal Chemistry: John Pham
• Geriatric Pharmacy Award: Hannah Asibal
• Alumni Award: Alexis Archer
• USPHS Excellence in Public Health Pharmacy Award: Michelle Johnson
• Viatris Excellence in Pharmacy Award: Kirsten Loch
• Abby Metzger Academic Excellence Award: Evelyn Dao, Samina Hashmi, Mikayla Johnson, Rui Lyu, Hailee Mickle, John Pham and Caleb Seiders
• Dean’s Award: Erika Nixon-Lambert

2026 OUTSTANDING PRECEPTOR AWARDS

• Dr. Benu Arora, Pharmacist at CVS in Vienna, VA
• Dr. Caitlyn Amor, Internal Medicine Pharmacist, Hampton VA Medical Center in Hampton, VA
• Dr. Anne Masich, Internal Medicine Pharmacist at VCU Health and faculty member at VCU School of Pharmacy in Richmond, VA
• Dr. Emily Puckett, Specialty Pharmacist at the University of VA Health System in Charlottesville, VA
• Dr. Lori Dunn, Ambulatory Care Pharmacist with the University of VA Health System in Charlottesville, VA
• Dr. Bini Eyasu, Cardiovascular Critical Care Pharmacist with Bon Secours Memorial Regional Medical Center in Richmond, VA
• Dr. Amy Cook, Critical Care Pharmacist with HCA Henrico Doctors Hospital in Richmond, VA
• Dr. Evan Hurley, Infectious Disease Pharmacist with Inova Alexandria Hospital in Alexandria, VA
• Dr. Jessica Green, Clinical Pharmacy Specialist with Inova Health System’s Center for Personalized Health in Fairfax, VA
• Dr. Anne Harrison, Pharmacist for VCU Health’s Specialty Pharmacy in Richmond, VA

Partner Recognition Award: Dr. Kristen Marge, Inova Health System

Lawrence Earle Clevinger Preceptor of the Year: Dr. Nicole Omecene, Clinical Pharmacist at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU and faculty member at VCU School of Pharmacy

2026 TEACHER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Finalists, as selected by P1, P2, P3 and graduate students:

• P1 & P2: Dr. Benjamin Van Tassell
• P3: Dr. Krista Donohoe
• Graduate: Dr. Malgosia Dukat

2026 Bertha Rolfe Teacher of the Year: Dr. Benjamin Van Tassell