Hadia Malik is a final-year PharmD candidate at the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Pharmacy and a 2022–2023 APhA–ASP Member-at-large.
When someone is learning to ice skate, one of the first things they learn is to fall. If you’re not willing to fall, you’ll never have the chance to learn how to stand up and improve.
The first time I went on the ice, I was so scared of falling that I clung to the railing the entire time. From the perimeter of the rink, I watched all my friends glide effortlessly on the ice. I knew I had to push myself to let go of the rail, even if I was certain I was going to fall. And guess what? I did fall. Again, and again. I kept falling until I was no longer scared of it because I realized it didn’t hurt as much as I feared it would. I also learned that if I wasn’t willing to risk falling, I wasn’t going to be able to ever learn to grow and improve. I could fall, learn to get back up, and pick up where I left off.
At that time, I didn’t realize I would have to lean on this valuable lesson once again years later, in pharmacy school.
APhA–ASP perseverance
As a first-year student pharmacist at the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Pharmacy, I was eager to get involved with APhA–ASP in every way that I could. I went to every patient care event, general meeting, and outreach event that I could attend. As recruitment began for chapter leadership, I knew I had to find my place in the organization if I wanted to expand my involvement. However, I instantly felt uncomfortable with the idea of running for a position. What would happen if I didn’t get it? What would my classmates think of me? How would I increase my involvement if I didn’t end up becoming a chapter leader? I dreaded the thought but challenged myself to continue with my campaign.
As I was leaving an OTC Medicine Safety event, I saw a notification of an email come through: “APhA–ASP Election Results!!!” I could hear my pulse in my ears as I fumbled to get it open, only to be devastated that my name was not on the list.
I refused to accept that this would be the end of my APhA–ASP journey. I wasn’t going to let my passion for the association die because of one fall. This ignited a fire inside me to continue to push my own boundaries. Unafraid to fail again, I ran to serve and was successfully elected as the Region 6 Member-at-large, and then again for APhA–ASP National Member-at-large. Had I not learned to fall, I would never have had the courage to step out of my comfort zone in front of a room full of hundreds of student pharmacists I admire.
Embrace the fall
The courage I channeled to step out of my comfort zone through pursuing APhA–ASP leadership was the same courage it took to let go of the railing while ice skating all those years ago. Although my skating skills have not improved, I have learned to find the fun in falling. Had I not been willing to embrace the fall, I would have never known the life-changing possibilities ahead—whether it be ice skating or chapter leadership.