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Brooklyn, N.Y. - Top honors and good grades seem to come naturally
to LilyAnn Jeu, 2002 valedictorian at Long Island University's Arnold
& Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, which
will have its commencement exercises on Friday, May 17 at 1 p.m.
on the College's athletic field. She was also the class valedictorian
at Hunter College from which she graduated with a B.A. in biology
and psychology in 1997. At both colleges, she maintained a perfect
G.P.A. of 4.0 and was on the Dean's List.
But this repeat performance hasn't come easily. "It's required
a lot of hard work and sacrifice to achieve my goals," says
Jeu, a resident of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. "Let's face it,
pharmacy school was no walk in the park. It's been a tough few
years for me and my classmates." Especially since they are
the first graduates of the College's new entry-level Pharm.D.
curriculum. "There was a bit of trial and error in designing
the new curriculum and we've been coping with that," she
confides. "We do think, however, that our experience will
make it easier for students who follow," she says.
What Jeu will miss most about her experience are the students.
"We've always been able to help each other," she says.
"There's a lot of concern and cooperation among us, not competition."
The 27-year-old Jeu is the oldest, together with her twin sister
Mary Ann, of five siblings and is a child of immigrants from Mainland
China. She attended Stuyvesant High School and is the only pharmacist
in the family. "Biology appealed to me and then also psychology
caught my eye," she says. She double-majored in the two subjects
at Hunter, where she received a National Institute of Mental Health
fellowship to do research in psychology. After graduation, she contemplated
medical school but decided it was not for her. Jeu took a year's
break from studies and worked as an editorial assistant, writing
about health-related matters for a diabetes publication, "an
option that kept me in the sciences," she adds. It was during
this time that she became interested in pharmacy. "What appealed
to me was how researchers develop new drugs and how these drugs
affect physiology."
While at the Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy
and Health Sciences, she received financial support from Maimonides
Medical Center. During her College years, she worked as an intern
at Maimonides and also at CVS Pharmacy.
In addition to the Maimonides Medical Center Scholarship, Jeu
has received many honors and awards, including the Schuss Scholarship
and the College of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the City of New
York Alumni Association Grant. She was inducted into Rho Chi,
the National Pharmacy Honor Society; Phi Lambda Sigma, the National
Pharmacy Leadership Society; Phi Beta Kappa, the National Honor
Society; and Psi Chi, the National Psychology Honor Society.
Jeu has also been active on campus, participating in focus groups
to develop the curriculum, serving as president of the pharmacy
leadership society and as a student representative for Albany
Day. "I feel there is much more to be gained if you are more
involved," she says.
At present she is contemplating her future. "There are diverse
career paths and opportunities in the pharmacy profession, and,
at the moment, I am considering them all."
Please note: LilyAnn Jeu can be photographed during her
valedictory address at commencement on Friday, May 17 at 1 p.m.
on the athletic field. Interviews with Jeu can be arranged through
the Public Relations office at (718) 488-1015.
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