Sharks Rx Spring 2018 | NSU College of Pharmacy

Lianjie Xiong, Pharm.D. (’10), Diliam Jouve Gonzalez (’19), and Ariel Tarraza Santos (’19) are turning their academics into action. Just three of countless students at NSU’s College of Pharmacy who have overcome obstacles to achieve their career goals, Xiong, Jouve Gonzalez, and Tarraza Santos have broken down barriers with the help of faculty and staff members, their peers, and their families. All three agreed that NSU provided them with the resources to excel in their areas of expertise and equipped them with the necessary experiences and research opportunities to do so. “Right after I finish the curriculum in the program, I will definitely be completely confident that all the things I have learned, I will use them in a great way when I’m working,” Tarraza Santos said. The advanced standing program for international students allowed Xiong to get into the phar- macy field in the U.S. Originally from China, Xiong earned her Pharm.D. degree from NSU in 2010. “The program was very vigorous because it was only two-and-a-half-years,” Xiong said. Fortunately, with the financial support of generous family members she completed her degree. “It was my sister and her husband who supported me through pharmacy school,” Xiong said. “And I studied really, really hard.” Xiong hit a stumbling block, however, when she couldn’t continue her academic pursuits with- out a green card. “I was an international student, so I couldn’t do anything because of my visa status,” she said. “Although I started to get the green card process going, the process is hard to predict.” Xiong had to wait more than a year to get her green card, but she didn’t falter in her commitment to continuing her quest toward pharmacy. By Anika Reed Xiong REALIZING THEIR POTENTIAL Alumna and Students: