President of graduating PharmD class honoured for contributions to student life

As president of the 2020 PharmD graduating class, Michelle Wang has had to manage some unexpected challenges, with no playbook from previous class presidents. The COVID-19 pandemic upended all of the usual events that take place in the final months of a PharmD degree: rotations, convocation and the related celebrations, and licensing exams. Wang has been working with all of the relevant stakeholders – students, faculty and even external organizations – to represent students’ perspectives and communicate decisions and processes to the graduating class.

“I’m constantly learning how to address different issues, thinking about all perspectives and learning how to engage multiple stakeholders. There’s so many moving parts,” Wang says of her role during the pandemic. “We all have to remember to be adaptable and flexible, and that everyone is trying their best at this time.”

It’s been a difficult role, but Wang is no stranger to tackling challenges in student government. She was recently selected as one of four PharmD recipients of the U of T Student Leadership Awards, recognized for their impact on the university experience of their peers.

During her degree, Wang held leadership roles in volleyball, coaching junior players and serving as captain of her intramural team. She also served as finance director of the Undergraduate Pharmacy Society (UPS) for two years before becoming class president. As finance director, she had to sort through and clean up the UPS’s finances so that it could receive university funding through student fees again. She also managed a large budget and led new initiatives to maintain its finances and re-establish its not-for-profit status.

“That was a difficult year. There was a lot of learning through that process,” she says. “But it’s important that students get their fair share from paying student fees because it contributes to their student life.”

Wang, who earned a bachelor’s degree in immunology at McGill University before coming to U of T’s Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, will start an industrial residency at a pharmaceutical company in the medical affairs department in September. For now, she remains closely connected to the Faculty and her class as they navigate the transition between their education and professions during this difficult time.

“There are many ways people can demonstrate leadership,” she says. “It is an honour to know that I was able to contribute to student life and to be in a role to advocate for students to make the best out of their time at school.”

Student leaders recognized for volunteer and outreach activities

Three other graduating PharmD students were also recognized with leadership awards for the contributions they made during their degrees.