Meet the 2025 Aspiring Academics Announcing the 27 student pharmacists selected for the program's third cohort.

The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) is proud to announce the 27 student pharmacists selected from across the country for the third cohort of the AACP Aspiring Academics Program.

The program, designed to facilitate a deeper understanding of career paths in academic pharmacy, engages selected students over the course of the next year through asynchronous learning modules, mentorship, networking, a group project, involvement with AACP, and attendance at Pharmacy Education 2026 and the Teachers’ Seminar in Grapevine, Texas.

By the end of the program, students will be familiar with the process for career advancement in pharmacy academia; recognize the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed; and understand the expectations of a pharmacy faculty member regarding scholarship, teaching, and service. Most importantly, their newly-developed network of peers and mentors will serve as an important resource to advancing their potential careers in academia in the years to come.

Meet the third cohort of AACP Aspiring Academics:

Adia Vazquez

University at Buffalo, The State University of New York School

Ahmed Elgendy

The University of Toledo

Ama Boamah

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Autumn Nachbar

University of Missouri-Kansas City

Brandon San

Pacific University Oregon

Caroline Kinder

University of South Carolina

Charlotte Powell

University of Hawaii at Hilo

Cindy Tran

Oregon State University

Elise Reinke

University of Colorado

Ethan Hathcock

The University of Tennessee

Jacob Krah

Howard University

Julia Vorsa

The University of Rhode Island

Katelin Baird

Lipscomb University

Lauren Linenfelser

Wayne State University

Marti Glovinsky

Chapman University

Mary Nguyen

University of California, Irvine

Nori Zaccheo

Wilkes University

Pia Patel

The University of Iowa

Rileigh Rahrig

Ohio Northern University

Samantha Schnabel

University of Kentucky

Samantha Pages

The University of Texas at El Paso

Samantha Buck

Idaho State University

Seun Lagbenro

The University of Texas at Austin

Skylar Watson

Samford University

Spencer Povoski

The Ohio State University

Stephanie Shaw

The University of Oklahoma

Tan Vo

Ferris State University

Hear from a Program Graduate

An episode of the Pharmacy Fika Podcast features a student from the Aspiring Academics Program ("Aspiring Academics: Preparing the Next Generation of Pharmacy Educators"), discussing their journey toward a career in academia. Take a listen to the episode if you are curious how programs like AACP's Aspiring Academics and formal training programs help people determine if academia is a good fit for them.

For more information about the program, visit:

For more AACP opportunities for students, visit: