Pharmacy Perspectives - Winter/Spring 2015 - (Page 5)

WINTER/SPRING STUDENT RECRUITMENT COORDINATOR BY DAY, DRUMMER BY NIGHT M any of you know Edward Nance as the Student Recruitment & Outreach Coordinator for our school; however, Edward has another side that few of us knew about, until now that is. Since the age of 9, Edward has practiced a form of drumming known as Taiko. Taiko originated in Japan and literally translates to "drum." Ancient Japanese warriors used to beat Taiko drums loudly as they marched into battle to make their armies seem larger and more intimidating to their enemies. Now, Taiko performers use these drums as a way to stay connected to their heritage and to create dynamic, exhilarating performances. Edward is a part of a 22-member Taiko drum group here in Denver, appropriately named Denver Taiko. The group is the fourth oldest Taiko band in the U.S. and includes people of all ages. In fact, Edward got his start with the group when he was in the third grade and officially joined the performance ensemble as a junior in high school. The group performs at a variety of events and venues, including the Parade of Lights and the annual Dragon Boat Festival. Over the years, the group has gained success here in Denver and become more and more in demand. During the summer, Denver Taiko will often perform once a week and get called to play in major local venues. Edward grew up right here in Aurora and likes to think of our school as being located on his home turf. He attended Park Lane Elementary School and Hinkley High School, later going on to earn his Bachelor's degree from Northern Colorado University. Now, Edward is in the process of earning his Master's degree in Higher Education from Adams State. If you want to learn more about Edward and Denver Taiko, you can visit their website at denvertaiko.org or like them on Facebook/denvertaiko. NOT YOUR TYPICAL PHARMACY STUDENT S econd-year pharmacy student Ken Roderick is no stranger to owning his own business. For 10 years, Ken owned and ran a successful construction business with lucrative contracts with Fortune 500 companies. Prior to that, he was in the computer industry in partnership with a friend. "I've always had an entrepreneurial spirit. I guess I inherited it as my father and grandfather both ran their own businesses." Putting his business skills to good use, he sits on the Board of Directors for Hyrax Pharmaceuticals and is currently crafting and developing a business model for his own stand alone MTM (medication therapy management) clinic. "I knew nothing about MTM before I came to pharmacy school, but once Dr. Trinkley introduced it to us our first year I saw a need and jumped on it." And because he looks at things differently he has been able to pull together investors interested in the concept. Currently, he is waiting for the state board to classify the idea. "After that's done, we'll be able to open up shop." "I chose pharmacy after construction because I wanted to help people." He looked at med school, but it didn't appeal to him. "Pharmacy offers more of an entrepreneurial mindset." LABOR OF LOVE F or the past 18 years, staff member and IT specialist Jeri Rome and her husband have lived on a 400-acre farm, caring for the land in their spare time. Spare time, unfortunately, isn't something Jeri and her family have in abundance. Both Jeri and her husband work full-time jobs and come home and work in the fields in the evenings. "We probably spend two to three hours out in the fields in the evenings, but on the weekends, we are out there for closer to ten to twelve hours." This is even more impressive when you consider that Jeri didn't even grow up on a farm and claims her parents are "city folks" from Denver. Her husband, however, grew up in the country and comes from a long line of farmers, which is why they bought the farm almost two decades ago. Still, it could be a much larger commitment, she says. "Now, it's much easier to manage the farm and a full-time job because we have equipment, but when my husband's father was farming, he had to do it all by hand." Even with tractors, seeders and harvesters, living on a working farm is no easy task. Jeri says that it continues to be a lot of work, but she considers it a labor of love and thinks of coming home to work in the fields as a natural part of her day. www.ucdenver.edu/pharmacy 5 http://www.denvertaiko.org http://www.denvertaiko.org http://www.ucdenver.edu/pharmacy

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Pharmacy Perspectives - Winter/Spring 2015