May 3, 2024
By Paige Benning
AUBURN, Alabama - After six years on the Plains, Ryleigh Berry’s time at Auburn University and the Harrison College of Pharmacy comes to a close, and it will come to a close with a distinguished honor.
The Pharm. D. graduate from Muscle Shoals, Alabama has been named as student marshal for the Harrison College of Pharmacy’s 2024 Commencement ceremony. This honor is awarded by the respective college’s Dean’s Office to a student who exemplifies what it means to be an Auburn student.
Berry will process her fellow graduates into the ceremony on Monday, May 6. The 2024 Commencement will begin at 1 p.m., Monday at Neville Arena in Auburn. The Class of 2024 includes 121 Pharm.D. graduates from 15 states and three foreign countries.
Berry received an undergraduate degree in biomedical sciences with a minor in leadership from Auburn in 2020 and will cross the stage once again to become a Doctor of Pharmacy. Deciding to stay at Auburn was an easy choice for Berry.
“My time at Auburn was easily the most formative period of my life thus far,” said Berry. “It changed me and challenged me and rooted a new level of tenacity and resolve deep within me.”
For Berry, pharmacy stumbled into her lap after being hired as a cashier at a local drugstore. It was there she witnessed first-hand the crucial role of pharmacists in health care.
“I chose pharmacy after seeing the impact of the pharmacist-patient relationship within my own community,” said Berry. “I have always loved being around people and was led to pharmacy as it combines that passion with my aptitude for math and science. My goal is to be a trusted resource and advocate for the patients I serve.”
Berry poured as much time into the HCOP community as it did into her. Throughout her four years she served as a HCOP Class Justice, recruitment coordinator for the HCOP Ambassadors, chair member of the Honor Board and president of Auburn’s chapter of the Rho Chi Pharmacy Honor Society.
“Over the course of pharmacy school, I intentionally built relationships with not only my peers, but the faculty and staff at Harrison College of Pharmacy,” said Berry. “It is true that the people make the place, and I am convinced that HCOP is composed of some of the very best people I have ever known.”
After graduating, Berry plans to return to her hometown and pursue a career in independent pharmacy. She wants to “invest in the community that poured so much into [her] over the years.”
“I have accepted a position at Village Drugs in Muscle Shoals, Alabama where I look forward to experiencing the opportunities for educational advancement and innovation that independent pharmacies provide,” said Berry.
“I am ending my time at Auburn with far more than just diplomas- I have an entire support system of people within my field that genuinely care about me and my future as a pharmacist.”
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Auburn University's Harrison College of Pharmacy is ranked among the top 20 percent of all colleges of pharmacy in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report. Fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), the College offers doctoral degrees in pharmacy (Pharm.D.) and pharmaceutical sciences (Ph.D.) while also offering a master's in pharmaceutical sciences and a bachelor’s in drug and biopharmaceutical sciences. The College’s commitment to world-class scholarship and interdisciplinary research speaks to Auburn’s overarching Carnegie R1 designation that places Auburn among the top 100 doctoral research universities in the nation. For more information about the College, please call 334.844.8348 or visit http://pharmacy.auburn.edu.