Sean Kim is a final-year PharmD candidate at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy.
It did not take me long to realize that pharmacy school requires self-regulation—the process of controlling or redirecting disruptive emotions and impulses. Beyond the challenging school curriculum, as student pharmacists we also deal with a great amount of stress as we take on additional leadership opportunities and get involved in numerous extracurricular activities.
When I served as Student Government Association (SGA) president at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, my term was during truly one of the most unprecedented times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Just like other schools, my school responded to the dynamic changes of the pandemic day by day. Students continually adapted as the curriculum was adjusted between in-person, virtual, and hybrid models. As SGA president, I felt a great deal of responsibility to help facilitate the best possible school environment for students, faculty, and staff during these changes.
Yet navigating learning during a pandemic was new to everyone, and we saw burnout increase drastically. I was no exception to these stresses.
That’s when I started to run early in the mornings.
Channel your stress
When I run, I can feel the freshness of the air as I breathe in and out. And the views! Baltimore’s Inner Harbor is one of the best spots to catch early sunrises over the water.
Running is a true benefit to one’s physical and mental health. Using the morning hours to get into better shape lifted my mood and boosted my self-confidence.
Another important benefit of running is the time that is solely dedicated to you alone. Running allows me the space and time to contemplate my past and future. In numerous times of confusion and doubt, running brought me inner peace and the answer: “It will be well.”
I would like to encourage all of you to never give up and instead learn how to embrace and channel your stress through a physical outlet like I have through running, personal relationships, or finding your own means of catharsis. From our challenges, we will find opportunities to turn difficult situations around. If you feel lost and need fresh air, what are you waiting for? Stand up and go for a run!
Personal interactions build sincere relationships
I am grateful for APhA–ASP because the academy provides a platform to meet student pharmacist leaders across the country. Each of us has different stories and passions, but we all share similar challenges at our respective schools. It was my community and the people around me who inspired me to serve the pharmacy school as SGA President. When I faced various challenges, I could find help from numerous mentors and friends. When I was lost, they showed me the right way. When I was wrong, they provided me with constructive feedback and a new perspective. These genuine personal interactions have built up sincere relationships and have given me the motivation to continue to serve the community as well as the “Courage to Change.” From these relationships, I have also further developed my passion for the pharmacy profession and compassion for others.
Those who supported me to serve and grow as a leader, my great mentors, deserve appreciation: Cynthia Boyle, PharmD; Cherokee Layson-Wolf, PharmD; Clynton Musngi, PharmD; and Josh Whittington, PharmD; and my amazing friends Delaney McGuirt, Sona Ghorashi, and Atsue Sawai. Thank you!