Koons plans to stay in Kansas after finishing his pharmacy degree at The University of Kansas, where he was accepted into the program. Koons said the feeling of being accepted into the pharmacy program in KU was indescribable because it was such a happy feeling after working four years to be able to apply to his dream degree program.
April 19, 2018
While most two-year college students are just finding out where they will continue their education for a bachelor’s degree, sophomore Christopher Koons has other, much bigger, plans: pharmacy school.
Koons has been granted a direct entrance into the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy upon his graduation from SCCC’s pre-pharmacy program this May, a dream he has had for over four years
“Ever since my junior year in high school, I have really liked chemistry. I wanted to become a pharmacist to be able to use the information I learned in a knowledgeable way,” Koons, a liberal native, said.
Koons decided to begin his journey to pharmacy school at Seward County Community College. He chose SCCC because he wanted to be close to home and because of the quality of teaching. While studying at SCCC, Koons decided to join the Bridge program. SCCC’s Bridge program gives students the chance to research biomedical topics while developing a strong work ethic.
SCCC Biology instructor and Bridges coordinator, Myron Perry, encouraged Koons to join the program and help conduct the chemistry needed for the different research topics.
“He’s a good student. When I am recruiting for this program, I pick out people with certain talents and I kind of latch on to them. It’s kind of like a codependency for the research we do,” Perry said.
While Koons has earned a spot directly into pharmacy school, it hasn’t been easy. The hard work it takes to be able to qualify for pharmacy school required him to endure semesters consisting of hard classes.
There was no ‘wiggle room’ to break up harder classes into different semesters. The work ethic that he shows has even been noticed by his professors on campus.
Koons’ biggest assets are his self-motivation and dedication to studies. He does not procrastinate and will usually have assignments completed the day they are assigned,”SCCC Chemistry instructor, Dr. William Bryan said.
Bryan added that “his ambition has also been noticed as he has carried out his own research projects while here at SCCC. He does not settle for the bare minimum but is always asking what else can he do to further his experiment.”
After developing a love for chemistry, Koons has waited for the moment he was accepted into pharmacy school for quite some time. The moment he found out gave him an indescribable feeling.
“It’s hard to describe. It’s definitely a relief because I’ve put in so much work in the last four years and I’m excited to be admitted directly into the program,” Koons said.
Perry agreed with Koons and added that he is one of the few students who got accepted among students with associates, bachelors, and even masters degrees.
Koons will begin his journey to becoming a pharmacist next fall at the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy in Lawrence, Kansas, a dream he has worked hard to accomplish.
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