Aderinola Omoniyi
Nigeria
Aderinola Omoniyi emigrated to the United States from Nigeria. She studied pharmacy in Nigeria but left before receiving an official license. She found out about TCOP and was attracted to the school’s mission. The deal was sealed during her tour. “Everyone was so friendly and I wanted to be in a small school,” she said.
Before deciding to pursue pharmacy, Omoniyi visited several working pharmacists in Nigeria and found herself interested in the retail aspect of pharmacy. “The pharmacists I met were very knowledgeable,” she said. “Patients would come in and talk to them.”
While Omoniyi is interested in working as a retail pharmacist, she also sees herself focusing on public education in Nigeria.
“The main issue in Nigeria is that people use drugs indiscriminately,” she explained. “People just go to the pharmacy, present their symptoms and ask for medications. Frequently, prescriptions aren’t required and the population is using drugs dangerously. People need to understand what medication they’re taking, how to take it and why they’re taking it in the first place.”
While she loves the cosmopolitan nature of New York (though she explained, Lagos in Nigeria competes with New York in terms of population density), she misses the closer-knit nature of Nigeria between family members.
Guilty Pleasure: Singing. “I’m not a very good singer but I love singing.”
