Ellie Flynn is a third-year PharmD candidate at The University of Kansas School of Pharmacy. In March, she received an APhA Student Leadership Award at the 2025 APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition in Nashville, TN.
Student Pharmacist Magazine (SPM): As you reflect on your student pharmacist experience thus far, what are some of your favorite memories?
Flynn: Nearly all my favorite memories as a student pharmacist have been through APhA–ASP, but my time serving as the 2024 APhA Carl F. Emswiller Summer Intern will always be one of my favorite experiences. Getting to spend a summer working at APhA headquarters in Washington, DC, was an experience I will never forget. This opportunity challenged me both personally and professionally, and it changed the trajectory of my career in pharmacy.
Through this role, I had the opportunity to spend the summer working alongside Rachel Lucky, then-APhA–ASP national president-elect, who I am honored to call a friend. Together we shared many laughs and Subway sandwiches while working tirelessly on programming for the APhA–ASP Summer Leadership Institute. After experiencing the event as a participant during the prior year, I will always remember the feeling of watching the student pharmacists gather on Capitol Hill to kick off the amazing weekend knowing the hard work that goes into creating the magic during the weeks prior.
Another opportunity that the internship provided me was the experience of traveling to Auburn University and South College for their Chapter Outreach Visits. I was thrilled to be able to share my passion for APhA–ASP and all the amazing opportunities it offers to student pharmacists, and I greatly treasure the friendships I built with the students I met on these visits.
While pharmacy school has opened many doors and opportunities for me professionally over the last 3 years, the gift I am the most grateful to have received is some of the best friends that a girl could ask for. It is funny how you start sitting next to people as strangers, and somehow they become some of the most important people in your life. There is something truly beautiful about the friendships formed during late night study sessions and through serving on various leadership teams. Even in the most stressful times, my friends are able to make me smile by doing crazy things like carrying a couch through the school of pharmacy, creating the most unhinged mnemonics, and throwing me not one, but two surprise birthday parties.
SPM: Pharmacy school is demanding, especially when you add on additional activities. How do you manage all of your responsibilities?
Flynn: Growing up I was always involved in many activities outside of school, which taught me the valuable skills of organization and time management early on. I have kept a planner for as long as I can remember; however, I did recently make the leap from paper to Outlook Calendar. I have always found that color coding events over my week helps me visualize where my time is going to make sure it aligns with my priorities and goals. While it can be stressful at times balancing pharmacy school, work, organization involvement, and a personal life all at the same time, it is also incredibly rewarding. When life gets stressful, I try to take a step back and remember how lucky I am to have the opportunities that I do.
SPM: What are some of your favorite leadership tools and/or resources?
Flynn: One of my favorite leadership resources is Giant’s “5 Voices” tool. I love how this tool not only helps one better understand themselves and their natural tendencies and triggers, but it also maps out how different personalities can function and exist together within a team. In fact, teams must have various personalities and skill sets to thrive. Identifying myself as a “Pioneer,” the least common voice, made me realize why I had previously felt so misunderstood, particularly in team-based settings. This tool also helped turn what I once viewed as my weaknesses into strengths and allowed me to use my voice to unite those around me.
SPM: What does being a leader mean, and what does being selected for this award mean to you?
Flynn: To me, being a leader means empowering others in all walks of life. Leaders are not born or made through any title or accomplishment. Rather, leaders are a collection of what they are able to help others accomplish and the support they provide to those around them. Every day I strive to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Whether it is my patients or peers, I try to add value to the lives of all those I interact with.
Knowing how many hard-working and passionate student pharmacists make up APhA–ASP, it is truly an honor to be selected for this award, and it is an experience I will greatly treasure as I carry on in my leadership journey. I would like to thank the APhA–ASP National Awards Standing Committee for generously selecting me for this award, my nominators for their kind words and constant support toward my personal and professional development and all of APhA–ASP for inspiring me every day.
SPM: Who is your favorite songwriter and why?
Flynn: My favorite songwriter is Taylor Swift. I admire her ability to thrive in the face of adversity, and I think her God-given gift of capturing human emotions through her music is truly breathtaking. Whether I need a dance party or a good cry, she has a song for every occasion!
SPM: What’s next for you?
Flynn: At APhA2025 I had the honor of being elected as a 2025–2026 APhA–ASP national member-at-large, so over the next year I will have the opportunity to continue to serve student pharmacists across the nation, and share my passion for this organization and the profession of pharmacy! I am extremely grateful for this opportunity, and I cannot wait to see what is in store for myself and the rest of the APhA–ASP National Executive Committee.
I am also looking forward to starting my APPE journey and finalizing what comes next for me after graduation. I strive to continue my association engagement postgraduation as I pursue either a community pharmacy administration and leadership residency program or a fellowship in association leadership and management. My long-term goal is to work in association management, but I may go experience life in a more “traditional” pharmacy practice first.
We will see where the wind takes me! One thing is for certain, though: I will always call APhA my home.