Joshua Olsen’s decision to attend PVCC was a financial one. Rather than incurring debt starting at a four-year institution, Josh chose the opportunity to attend PVCC. As a recipient of the Honors Scholarship, Josh was able to complete his coursework debt-free.
As Josh reflects upon his PVCC experience, two faculty members come to mind. Dr. Debra Adair showed him how incredible pharmaceuticals are and how medicine plays a vital role in the overall well-being of society and local communities. Dr. Satinder Bains, Josh’s Organic Chemistry instructor, instilled in him a work ethic that he continues to draw upon to this day. He taught Josh that it is not a matter of intelligence but the effort and commitment one invests in practicing and honing your craft until you get to the point of knowing and understanding the material.
Josh’s most positive memory of PVCC is of the library. “The welcoming atmosphere coupled with the peaceful, quiet, serenity offered an ideal environment for studying.” He found the librarians “always readily accessible and very responsive to requests for assistance.”
“The instructors are of very high quality and you get a very stable foundation,” Josh shared when asked if he would recommend PVCC to others. “Sometimes the sheer size of universities does not allow access to professors nor does it provide the ideal opportunity for students to connect with fellow students” that you would experience at a community college. Josh found the opportunity to engage in one on one interaction with faculty to be a definite bonus. Josh went on to say, “The instructors are there because they are committed to teaching and teaching is not secondary to research.”
As a student attending school full-time and working full-time as a certified pharmacy technician, Josh did not have time to get involved in extracurricular activities; however, he is an advocate for extra-curricular involvement. “Participation in student clubs helps you develop your networking skills.” As a matter of fact, while conversing with a fellow student between classes, Josh received a tip of an employment opportunity that led him to a series of jobs related to his ultimate degree of a doctorate in Pharmacy. This first job reference was the catalyst for a series of internships and employment opportunities that led him to his current position as a Clinical Pharmacist, Safety and Monitoring, with CVS Health.
If Josh were to change anything about his educational experience it would be to “have scaled back on work and to get involved in clubs. A person can bloom socially and professionally through involvement in student clubs and extracurricular activities.”