The Presbyterian College School of Pharmacy Class of 2025

Presbyterian College celebrated the accomplishments of the School of Pharmacy’s Class of 2025 on Friday, May 9, in Belk Auditorium during a joyous and emotional hooding and commencement ceremony filled with gratitude, inspiration, and reflection.

The event marked the formal transition from student to professional for the graduating cohort of future pharmacists, who now join the ranks of more than 685 alumni of the college’s doctoral pharmacy program. Faculty, family members, friends, and members of the college community gathered to recognize not only academic achievement but also the personal growth, service, and resilience that defined the class’s journey.

“Knowledge in Service to Others”

Presbyterian College president Dr. Anita Gustafson opened the ceremony with words of welcome and affirmation, congratulating the graduates on completing one of the most rigorous academic programs the college offers.

“To our graduates: Congratulations on this remarkable achievement,” Gustafson said. “The journey you have completed has been demanding, rigorous, and transformative. Your resilience through challenging coursework, clinical rotations, and unexpected hurdles speaks volumes about your character and dedication.”

Gustafson emphasized the significance of the doctoral hood as a symbol of both scholarly accomplishment and the weighty responsibility that comes with the title of Doctor of Pharmacy.

“As pharmacists, you will be essential healthcare providers, medication experts, and trusted advisors in your communities,” she said. “Each prescription you fill, each medication review you conduct, and each patient consultation you provide represents an opportunity to serve others at their most vulnerable moments.”

Underscoring the college’s motto, While We Live, We Serve, Gustafson encouraged graduates to carry PC’s legacy of service into every facet of their professional lives.

“To the families and friends who have supported these graduates: Your encouragement, patience, and belief in them have been invaluable,” Gustafson said. “This achievement belongs, in part, to you as well.”

“You Are Ready”

Dr. Giuseppe Gumina, dean of the School of Pharmacy, also welcomed attendees and praised the Class of 2025 for their academic excellence, professional dedication, and enduring friendships forged over the past four years.

“This is the time when I tell you how special this class is,” Gumina said. “The Class of 2025 has proven to be academically gifted, always focused in the classroom, and positively aggressive in their approach to exam days.”

He lauded the graduates’ engagement beyond academics, citing their commitment to service and professional organizations, as well as the strong peer bonds they had developed.

“You have done all the right things to set yourselves up for success in life and in the profession,” he said. “While you will be missed around campus, I hope you find time to continue contributing your talents to your alma mater, as so many of our alumni do.”

Gumina paused the program to acknowledge those who played pivotal roles in the graduates’ journeys, inviting faculty, staff, pharmacist preceptors, and families to stand and be recognized for their support.

In his closing remarks later in the ceremony, Gumina reflected on the college’s mission and reminded students that while they were guided and mentored, it was their own hard work and perseverance that brought them to this moment.

“We did our best to lead you to the well, but it was up to you to drink,” he said. “Each time you found yourself in front of a test, you had to deliver. It was all you.”

“There Are Many Ways to Reach Your Destination”

The ceremony’s keynote address was delivered by Dr. Anna Shaw, a 2022 graduate of the School of Pharmacy and current assistant professor of pharmacy practice. Recently named the 2024-25 Teacher of the Year, Shaw brought a heartfelt and relatable message to the graduates, recalling her own experience sitting in the same seats just three years earlier.

“I consider my own graduation day to be one of the best of my life,” she said. “Take today in. Fill yourself with gratitude for those who helped you and take pride in what you have accomplished.”

Shaw encouraged graduates to remain open to the many paths a pharmacy degree can provide, noting that professional goals may evolve and change, and that success is often found in unexpected places.

“Being a drug information expert doesn’t mean you know every factoid about every drug—it means you know how to research, learn, and apply information critically,” she said. “Your time at PC has prepared you to become any kind of pharmacist.”

She also reminded graduates of their influence on the next generation of student pharmacists and urged them to be thoughtful mentors.

“The student pharmacists you interact with—their careers and patient care will be impacted by you,” she said. “Don’t take that privilege lightly. Create a healthy learning and work environment wherever you go.”

Shaw concluded by expressing her pride in the graduates joining the PC pharmacy alumni network.

“Be proud of where you came from,” she said. “Not every pharmacy graduate can say they knew the names of all their classmates. Today you become a part of this tight-knit family, and we can’t wait to see where your careers and lives take you.”

“The Journey Made Us Family”

Representing her peers, graduate Audra Butler delivered an address that combined gratitude, humor, and heartfelt reflection.

“I can’t believe we are finally here,” she said, beaming. “After years of hard work, late nights, and countless cups of coffee, we’ve made it to this incredible milestone.”

Butler thanked faculty and staff for their guidance and compassion, noting that the education they received extended well beyond the classroom.

“You have shaped us into compassionate, dedicated, and responsible healthcare professionals,” she said. “You were our family away from home.”

She also offered a humorous look back at the ups and downs of pharmacy school—from stressful exam schedules and late-night study sessions to memorable lab mishaps and pandemic challenges.

“I think our class alone helped the Clinton community thrive,” she joked, “as we single-handedly kept the G8 gas station beside the school open with all our afternoon snack runs and the Chick-fil-A in Laurens open during lunch hour.”

Butler reminded her classmates to take pride in how far they had come and to carry forward the same determination into their careers.

“Presbyterian College School of Pharmacy has equipped us with the knowledge and critical thinking skills to be more than just average pharmacists,” she said. “We leave here as well-prepared professionals ready to make a meaningful impact.”

She concluded with a quote from Dr. Seuss: “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory,” encouraging her classmates to savor the journey even as they step forward into the future.

Honors and Recognitions

The ceremony also highlighted several outstanding individuals and accomplishments within the School of Pharmacy community.

Faculty and Preceptor Awards

• Dr. Nancy Taylor, chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice, was promoted to associate professor and named 2024-25 Faculty Preceptor of the Year.
• Dr. Eileen Ward, pharmacist at Heritage Pediatrics and Internal Medicine, received the Preceptor of the Yearaward.
• Susi Carbonneau was recognized as Student Advocate of the Year.
• The While We Live, We Serve Awards were presented to Nancy Taylor and Lynn Thompson.
• Dr. Amy Messersmith received the honor of Faculty Researcher of the Year.
• Dr. Abigayle Campbell (Class of 2019) was named 2024-25 Alumna of the Year.

Student Awards and Recognitions

• Savannah McLeod received the Viatris Excellence in Pharmacy Award.
• Audra Butler earned both the Merck Manuals Award for Academic Excellence and the Mortar & Pestle Award.
• Butler was also named one of only 89 recipients nationwide of the U.S. Public Health Service Excellence in Public Health Pharmacy Award, sponsored by the U.S. Army Health Service.

Residency Matches

Several graduates were recognized for matching with the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Residency Matching Program, including:

• Chase Arrington
• Audra Butler
• Adelaine Hogan
• Margaret Matthews
• Somer Pye
• Reagan Young

Concentration Graduates

Graduates who completed academic concentrations included:

• Savannah McLeod – Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• Cayleigh Brookshire, Audra Butler, Makayla Laign, Nathanael Laign, and Ashley Solomon – Public and Rural Health

As the ceremony concluded, graduates crossed the stage one by one, hooded by faculty and greeted with cheers from loved ones in the audience. For the Class of 2025, it was not just the culmination of four years of rigorous training—but the beginning of a lifelong journey of service, scholarship, and compassion.

“Be proud of your accomplishment today,” Dean Gumina told them. “Make us proud of your accomplishments tomorrow. And remember, once a Blue Hose, always a Blue Hose.”

The Presbyterian College School of Pharmacy Class of 2025

• Mark Gamal Abdelmessih
• Ansley Denise Allison
• McKinzie Chase Arrington, Cum Laude
• Rachel Nichola Blocker
• Cayleigh Jo Brookshire
• Audra Grace Butler, Cum Laude
• Kimberly Claire Counts
• Arianna Nicole Derrick-Jones, Magna Cum Laude
• Adelaine Brooks Hogan
• Makayla Elizabeth Laign
• Nathaniel Jackson Laign
• Margaret Augusta Matthews, Summa Cum Laude
• Brent Mitchell McGee, Cum Laude
• Savannah Rose McLeod, Magna Cum Laude
• James Allen Moore
• George Michael Murphy
• Allison Don Pauley
• Nicholas James Porter, Cum Laude
• Somer Lanier Pye, Magna Cum Laude
• David Vitaliy Romanchenko
• Miyia Alicia Ross
• Ashley Jane Solomon, Magna Cum Laude
• Thomas Seth Southerland
• Jordan Thomas Steen
• Kendall Lee Taylor, Magna Cum Laude
• Trad Chanson Terry
• Ian Walker Thomas
• Uriel Trejo
• Bailee Garneau Varn
• Reagan Elise Young, Cum Laude