Experience

My Journey at LAU

Lea G. Ghajar ’22

Five years have passed and all I can say is: what an intellectual journey!

I grew up and went to school in North Lebanon. During my first year at university, I was still 17 years old and had neither a driver’s license nor a car, so at the beginning of the year, I had to wake up at 4:30 a.m. to catch a bus. I later moved into the dorms at LAU Byblos, which came with its own set of challenges. But, I had one goal in mind: to save as many patients’ lives as possible. It was at this point that my journey as a pharmacist began.

At first, I thought I had to do the bare minimum: attend and pass my courses, earn a degree, and find a job at a pharmacy. With time, I realized that I wanted to make a change within my LAU community and the wider public — to leave an impact through the services I provided. I started looking for opportunities where I could develop my skills, so I joined several training and educational clubs and committees.

First, I was elected as a student representative on the Pharmacy School Assessment and Evaluation Committee, where my duties ranged from providing the student’s perspective to producing and analyzing reports on issues related to the pharmacy program. I also served as the vice president of the pharmacy NAPHASS club, where I was in charge of delegating club events, overseeing internal operations, representing the president, and striving to achieve all necessary goals.

On the co-curricular level, I was elected as the chairperson of the Scheduling Subcommittee for a full academic year, and the following year as the chairperson of the Co-Curricular Committee. My duties included assisting the committee coordinator with preparing the agenda, keeping track of the prestigious work of the five subcommittees, and ensuring a smooth connection between members while maximizing the operational performance of the committee. Guided by its mission, we have provided support to students seeking career opportunities by helping them hone their professionalism and leadership skills.

On the athletic side, I received the Rookie of the Year award in 2019 and the Most valuable Player (MVP) award in 2020 in volleyball.

I met incredible, dedicated and skilled professionals who taught me lessons I will never forget. Working with people I am proud to call my colleagues today and taking on a variety of leadership responsibilities were well-rewarded, as I obtained the school’s Torch Award as well as a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy with distinction.

In summary, when I first set foot at LAU, I did not know or expect that I would be able to grow so much on the personal level. For this reason, I advise current and incoming students to take advantage of every opportunity, be bold, and have faith in their own capabilities no matter what. I have done it and so can you!