Thank You! A GLIMPSE INTO YOUR IMPACT Recipient: Mary Pearl Ojukwu I hope that you have remained excellent and well. My family and I are very grateful for the scholarship and the financial support offered through the Debbie DeSantis scholarship. As I explained in my application, I am an international student, and my family still lives back home in Nigeria. The economy back home has only worsened since I came to the United States for schooling and I can't imagine how I would have been able to finish up my schooling in such a prestigious university if not for this scholarship. For context, when I came here in 2018 the exchange rate for $1 was ₦361. Now in 2025, $1 is ₦1,462. This means that a $20,000 tuition in the US costed my family about ₦7,220,000 (7.2 million Nigerian Naira) and now, the same $20,000 tuition in the US would cost ₦29,240,000 (29.2 million Nigerian Naira) which is over 4 times the cost just 7 years ago. Of course, all this comes with no increase in income or the standard of living back home. I say all this to express to you how much of a relief your generosity has been to my entire family and myself especially. You have inspired me to work even harder to be in a position where I can support other students in the future. I plan to set up my own scholarship, in honor and gratitude of your investment in my future, to support the future generation of pharmacy students. For now, I just have to keep up the handwork first by graduating next year and starting my career. Since last year, I have figured out where I want my contributions in pharmacy to be. I would love to shape the standards of clinical research beyond the United States and to ensure the generation of robust clinical data that promote the safety of the population. I am currently applying to post- graduate fellowships in clinical research or clinical residencies in Investigational Drug Services (IDS). I want to run clinical trials and have a larger impact in terms of contributing to the availability of medicines and life-saving therapies. I am fascinated by the ecosystem that it takes to bring a medicine from conception into the hands of patients and am passionate about leaving a mark there. I believe I will be able to touch far more patients and families through this perspective. Thank you again for kickstarting my confidence in myself and my abilities. Your generosity has impacted my family for generations to come. My ability to receive my PharmD from the #4 pharmacy institution in the United States is an honor that I am confident will change the trajectory of my current family and the family I hope to create in the future. I will forever be grateful to you for believing in me and for challenging me to be greater for not only myself, but for the others that come after me. I will continue to sing your praises and ensure you never forget my gratitude. I only hope you are very happy with your contributions and proud of the great work you have started. Take care and remain blessed. Very warmly and gratefully, Mary-Pearl Ojukwu. PharmD Candidate 2026
Connect! marypearlojukwu@gmail.com