Caitie’s Story
Hey! My name is Caitie Stehling, and I am from a small mountain town in North Carolina. Ever since I was little, I knew I wanted to be a pharmacist and go to St. John’s. My dad is a pharmacy alumni and my brother is currently a sixth year stuadent. It wasn’t just a family tradition I was upholding by attending St. John’s: it was a legacy. After I was accepted to the prestigious pharmacy program at St. John’s, I also received the fabulous news that I was accepted into the Ozanam Scholars program. The Ozanam Scholars Program is a program dedicated to scholarly research, Vincentian service, and global citizenship that allows the students to grow academically and contribute to society through research and weekly community service. Managing this time intensive program with the vigorous pharmacy curriculum was a very tough transition from high school. However, it really taught me to value my time and plan all my commitments out accordingly.
Once I was at St. John’s, I was in for the cultural shock of my life. The town I’m from is very small and predominantly white and Baptist. Here at St. John’s, there is such diversity. I didn’t realize how much I had missed growing up in a small town. Most of my friends are nothing like me culturally or religiously, so it’s definitely refreshing and amazing. I have learned so much apart from my academic studies. I think the example that best highlights my ignorance is when I met an international student at Orientation from Mauritius, and I had never heard of the country. I felt badly that I couldn’t say I had heard of his country, yet he knew more about my country. After that, I tried to find out about more countries and at least be familiar with most of them.
My freshman year was also very chaotic, balancing schoolwork with extracurricular activities. I joined APhA-ASP (American Pharmacist Association) and Campus Ministry. I also ran for a representative position in Student Government, Inc. However, my freshman year was definitely one of the best years of my life. I made amazing friends whom I don’t know how I lived without and got to experience the thrill of living in NYC.
My advice to you is… Don’t procrastinate, manage your time wisely, and make sure you enjoy it!
