Pinning Ceremony Commemorates Major Milestone

The Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy (DKICP) recognized the achievements of the Class of 2026 in a Pinning Ceremony to commemorate the completion of the didactic portion of the curriculum. These students will transition to the final year of Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs) this summer.

Elyssa Ball, President and Valedictorian of the Class of 2025 provided words of advice and encouragement to the third-year students. She especially wanted them to remember and said, “You've gone ahead and embraced the theory of pharmacy, and now you'll spend the next year and beyond diving headfirst into the practice of pharmacy. You'll take the black and white of all the exams you've done, and really learn how to operate in the grey areas that pharmacists thrive in.”

Other speakers included Dr. Aryn Meguro, a 2024 Excellence in Teaching award recipient from DKICP and clinical pharmacist at Hilo Benioff Medical Center. She reminded the advancing students to continue to learn and grow during their APPEs, and that their preceptors and mentors are there for advice and guidance to help them succeed. As an alumnus of DKICP, Meguro is an example of the growing impact that pharmacists who graduate from the program can have in the communities in which they practice.

DKICP faculty who taught the students during the first three years in the Doctor of Pharmacy program were on hand to pin commemorative lapel pins on the white coats of the students. The pinning symbolizes the special bond that exists between students and faculty in the college, and the readiness of the PharmD students to take this next step in their journey to become pharmacists.

The important role of pharmacists to the community was emphasized by Chancellor Bonnie Irwin and No’el Tagab-Cruz through their welcome remarks and kipaepae.

All students in the Class of 2026 reaffirmed their commitment as future pharmacists during the ceremony by reciting the Oath of the Pharmacist together with other pharmacists in the audience.