By: Erik Pedersen, Content Strategy Director
BALTIMORE – Kunjrani Pani ’10, M’18, D’25 has come a long way since she first enrolled at Notre Dame of Maryland University as an undergraduate back in 2006.
Pani, currently a third-year student in the School of Pharmacy, is working towards her third degree at NDMU after previously earning a bachelor’s degree in biology from the School of Arts, Sciences, and Business and a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) from the School of Education.
After focusing mainly on academics during her undergraduate years, Pani now balances several leadership roles in the School of Pharmacy to go along with her coursework. She is the current president of NDMU’s American Pharmacists Association – Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) chapter, the Director of National Engagement for NDMU’s Industrial Pharmacist Organization (IPhO), and a tutoring chair for the Rho Chi Pharmacy Honor Society.
Pani also serves as a School of Pharmacy Student Ambassador, she is the school’s liaison for NDMU’s Student Government Association, and she is a group leader for the School of Pharmacy’s AdvoCaring community service program.
One thing that has not changed for Pani over the years is a consistent loyalty to Notre Dame as she continues to broaden her academic resume. Learn more about Pani’s various experiences as a student and her future career goals below:
What was your undergraduate experience like? Were you part of any clubs or organizations on campus?
My undergrad experience was very simple. Who I am now is not who I was when I was an undergrad. I joined a few organizations, including the National Honor Society and the Environmental Club, but I wasn’t really an active member. I was still learning how to balance my education with everything else. I was a biology major and a chemistry minor, and most of my focus as an undergrad was on my academics.
How did you spend your first few years after graduation, and how did that ultimately lead to a return to Notre Dame for a master’s program in the School of Education?
I sought out research opportunities after graduation, because I originally wanted to go to medical school and become an OB/GYN. I worked at Greater Baltimore Medical Center as a women’s cancer research assistant, and I assisted in a variety of roles at the women’s oncology clinic at GBMC. After a while, my preceptor moved to a new position and my research opportunities dissipated. I was just at the clinic at that point, and I realized that this is not where I want to be long-term.
I thought about other ways that I could use my biology degree, and I started looking up education programs. I discovered Notre Dame’s MAT program, and it seemed like it might be a good fit. Around that same time, I had a bunch of cousins come to the United States from India. When I shared that information with individuals in the MAT program, they suggested that I look into the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program.
I decided to enroll, and I became dual-certified in biology for grades 9-12, and ESOL for grades K-12. After completing the program, I got a job working at two Baltimore County elementary schools as an ESOL educator.
Did you enjoy your teaching experience?
I enjoyed it a lot. It was very different from healthcare. There was always an inkling of wanting to return to healthcare, but at that time I was very content with my teaching position. During the transition from undergrad all the way to becoming an ESOL educator, I had grown so much as an individual. My personality had changed to be a little more extroverted, and I became much more involved in things compared to my undergraduate years at Notre Dame.
When did you decide that you wanted to leave teaching and become a pharmacist?
I had some life events occur that really changed my mindset. It affected my teaching, and all those life events led to me speaking with one of my cousins, who at that time was a CVS technician. He could tell that I was interested in going back into medicine, and he recommended that I look into becoming a pharmacist. I had all the requirements to apply except for the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT), but this was during COVID times when that requirement was waived.
I started looking into pharmacy schools, and that brought me back to Notre Dame. I applied, went through the interview process, and was accepted. I didn’t take the traditional route into pharmacy, but I’m very happy to be back at Notre Dame.
What is it about Notre Dame that keeps you coming back?
I’m a loyal person, and I have a lot of loyalty towards Notre Dame because I appreciate the education that it has provided me. It’s a very high quality, excellent education, and that’s why I keep coming back. Notre Dame is literally my educational root that I’ve always cultivated and developed. It has all the resources and facilities that I need to be successful.
Talk a bit about your role as a Student Ambassador for the School of Pharmacy. What are some primary responsibilities of that position?
The primary responsibility for student ambassadors is to speak with prospective School of Pharmacy students about what it’s like to attend school here. I think it’s important to give them both the positives and the negatives from my point of view so that they can make an informed decision about whether Notre Dame is right for them.
Obviously, though, I’m going to try to give all of the positives that I can, because I don’t see why anybody would say that they wouldn’t want to come here. I try to highlight the opportunity that students at Notre Dame have to form strong connections with faculty members. That’s just not possible at a lot of the bigger pharmacy schools, and it can lead to some really strong letters of recommendation when applying to jobs.
You currently hold a variety of leadership positions in the School of Pharmacy. How have you been able to balance all of those positions with your other responsibilities, and how have they helped you grow as a leader?
When I was an undergrad, I didn’t know what I was capable of. I didn’t know if I could balance my academics with my extracurriculars. Now as a P3 student, I know that I can balance those things. I also have an apartment in Towson that I have to take care of, I have family members who aren’t in great health, and I have to take care of myself as well.
The main theme this year for me has been adaptability. I’ve learned how to adapt to different situations, whether they go my way or not. I’ve also realized the importance of transparent communication, and I’ve understood how to be a helpful resource for others. I think those three things have really built my leadership skills.
What are some of your future career goals?
In addition to being a student, I’m starting a job at Lutherville Pharmacy. Prior to that, I’ve worked at CVS, and I also currently work in the inpatient pediatric pharmacy at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. All of my collective experiences have made me understand that I want to do a first postgraduate year residency (PGY1) after graduation.
My short term goal is to successfully complete the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) and Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE), hopefully on the first round, and to get a PGY1 and successfully complete that. After that I can decide if I want to do a PGY2 in ambulatory care, or in anything else that I’ve gotten exposed to at that point.
Either way, I want to eventually do some type of academia. The best case scenario would be to come back to Notre Dame of Maryland in the School of Pharmacy and be a full-time faculty member who also has a clinical practice site. That’s the goal. I’m also interested in being a hospital clinician, but we’ll see where life takes me.
Established in 1895, Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) is a private, Catholic institution in Baltimore, Maryland, with the mission to educate leaders to transform the world. Notre Dame has been named one of the best "Regional Universities North" by U.S. News & World Report.
