High school students Danielle and Chris interned at the St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy over the summer through a partnership with local nonprofit Maydm. They’re just two of the many student volunteers who come through the pharmacy doors each year, gaining real-world experience serving neighbors in need and valuable connections to further their studies.

Thank you for your pharmacy support! Not only do you provide free medications to uninsured patients, but you also give students like Danielle and Chris the chance to learn about valuable careers, building tomorrow’s pharmacy leaders today.

1. How did you connect with the St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy?

Danielle: Maydm works by placing young people in STEM fields around the Madison area. We applied to the program, and they took our interests — and we both said we’re interested in pursuing healthcare in the future — and we did the program last year at UW Health. And now, this year, we’re still interested in healthcare, and they placed us here at the pharmacy.

2. Did anyone in your life inspire you to pursue a career in healthcare?

Chris: I think it started with my chemistry teacher. I really enjoyed her chemistry class and all the experiments that we did. And so I always had an interest in chemistry. It switched into pharmacy for me after I went to an open house at the UW-Madison pharmacy school. They talked about the school, I learned more about the kind of classes you have to take for it and what the career is like, what the education is like, and I became really interested in that. I thought it’d be a great way to switch my interest in chemistry into something more useful.

Danielle: Well, for me, my parents are nurses, so growing up, health has always been a part of my life. But for me specifically, I didn’t want to do healthcare at first. My parents are healthcare professionals, so I thought, “Let me take a different route.” But I’m an athlete, so I grew up seeing a lot of injuries and things like that, and I was really interested in human anatomy. So, I thought, “What if I go to school and study biology?” After my ninth-grade biology class, I really enjoyed the human anatomy unit and thought, “This is really cool, and I really want to do something with this in the future.” But, you know, a biology degree can only get you so far. So I thought about healthcare. And then I started, Maydm. Especially last year, learning about how many people go without [medicine], it just really solidified in me. Healthcare is a right, right? Not a privilege. There are so many people being denied that right. So, I decided I just wanted to be another stepping stone so people can access healthcare. Now I’m pursuing nursing.

3. What has been your favorite part of working in the pharmacy?

Chris: Well, I would like to say filling prescriptions, because I have a lot of fun doing that. But I think the more important part is the community here; I feel like everyone’s welcoming and inviting. It’s very fun to be around here, no matter what I’m doing. If I were filling prescriptions, working at the welcome desk, or answering voicemails all day, I would be around everyone here and still have fun. I really like the community. Whenever I come down here, there always seems to be a lot of volunteers of different ages, experiences, and backgrounds, and I think that’s really cool. I feel like we have such a close relationship with the patients as well. They just recognize everyone who comes here.

Danielle: Like Chris, filling prescriptions is definitely fun, but I think coming here every day and helping people makes all the difference. I mean, no matter what I’m doing, I know my presence here is definitely helping in some way, and just being a part of this organization makes me feel good. You’re making someone’s day, knowing they will have their medications for however long they need a refill, free of charge, and they don’t have to worry. To be able to do something like this for people in need is just right. It’s a very tangible service.

4. What’s one thing you want everyone to know about the pharmacy?

Danielle: Wear comfy shoes! Becky, Yolanda, and Cheryl do a very good job at teaching people what they need to do and their responsibilities, and they’ll hear you when you’re confused and won’t shame you. We came in here with no idea what we would be doing. We just knew we would be at St. Vincent de Paul for the summer. I’m not a pharmacist. He’s [Chris] not a pharmacist. I’ve never worked in a pharmacy, and I didn’t know all that pharmacists do. All that goes into it is so much more than you think.

Chris: Yeah, I didn’t realize how much was involved in the pharmacy, and I still don’t! There’s more to it than just counting pills. But it’s very collaborative and, as Danielle mentioned, there’s no shame.

Interested in volunteering at the pharmacy? Learn more here!