There’s No Stopping Me

Justice Kwansa’s Quest to Become a Pharmacist

September 06, 2018
JUSTICE KWANZA, PHARM. D.: As a child growing up in Ghana, our whole lives revolved around just working harder. I'm motivated every day by how far I've come. I know I'm coming from a family --my father never graduated high school. Neither did my mom. That drive and ability to refuse failure --there's no option. It's either all or nothing.

Pharmacists are really the front line in health care. And Touro makes an effort to hammer in the pathophysiology --what's causing the disease itself-- so that when you're making an intervention, you're not just quick to just hand out medication if you don't have to. I did my research. Touro College offers the most clinical rotations.

My rotation at Brookdale, basically, is the propeller, the engine, that steered me towards my goals. All these rotations are experiences to make you better. And during this rotation, it's for you to figure out which field of pharmacy you thrive in and is ideal for you.

Opportunities that were offered to me during my rotations are something that I would never trade anything for. I got the opportunity to work directly under the shadow of a clinical pharmacist, as well as a long-time, practicing cardiologist. These were all opportunities provided to me by Touro College.

The biggest surprise is how much the faculty devote and how much work they put into their students. The faculty experience, as well as the student-faculty ratio, is amazing. On this campus, it's more of a family. Touro was the best choice for me. I would never trade this place for any other institution. And knowing how far I've come, there's no stopping me.

Neither Justice Kwansa’s father or mother managed to finish high school in Ghana, but their inability to further their education pushed him to pursue his own educational dreams.

“I’m motivated by how far I’ve come,” said Kwansa, who emigrated to the US as a child. “We have the ability to refuse failure.”

Kwansa decided early on that he wanted to become a pharmacist because of their role in the healthcare system.

“Pharmacists are the front-line,” said Kwansa.

Kwansa looked into several pharmacy programs but chose TCOP because of the academics of the program and how many rotations the school offered.

“Touro hammers in the physiology so you can understand the root cause of the disease,” said Kwansa. “You’re not quick to hand out medication if you don’t have to.”

In addition, Kwansa said he was surprised by how much the faculty cared about each student. “On this campus, it was more of a family,” he explained.

During his time at TCOP, Kwansa fulfilled his rotation requirements by working under both experienced clinical pharmacists and established physicians.

“My rotations were the engine that allowed me to reach my goals,” Kwansa explaind. “All rotations are experiences that make you better. They allow you to realize the area of pharmacy you thrive in.”

Kwansa was part of the 2018 class and is now a practicing pharmacist. 

“Knowing how far I’ve come, there’s no stopping me,” he said.