Walgreens Multilingual Scholarship 

By Katherine Noriega, PharmD Candidate, Class of 2026 

When I was younger, I ran across a quote that resonates with the values I was brought up with and how they have shaped the way I am now. The quote by Sol Peralta states, “Your individuality is important, but so is belonging. Recognize the parts of your culture that have shaped your past, and the parts you want to carry with you into the future”.  Growing up in a Mexican American house hold, our grandfather taught us the value in helping others first before ourselves and that family is priority. Our parents had full time jobs that limited them from spending a lot of time with my sister and I, thus making our grandparents our primary caretakers. I learned how to speak fluent English from my parents and fluent Spanish from my grandparents. They always stressed the importance of being bilingual. When I became old enough, I began to translate for them everywhere we went. I found joy in helping them feel understood and delighted that they were able to communicate and receive the correct information. It wasn’t until later in my career that I realized how important translating for others really was. I was fortunate enough to be hired at a community pharmacy at nineteen years old. There is where my journey as a bilingual Spanish speaking pharmacy technician began. I realized I was the only Spanish speaking technician at most Rite Aid community pharmacy locations. For over ten years, I have assisted many pharmacists by translating questions patients had for them. This ensured that patients were being communicated with correctly and medications were being safely administered. Being able to speak fluent Spanish brings a positive impact in underserved pharmacy communities by allowing the patients to feel comfortable asking questions and receive the patient care along with medication information they need. People are more open to speaking with others that speak their native language. 

 With the Hispanic population continuing to grow all over California, the need for bilingual Spanish speakers is needed now more than ever. Patients who aren’t able to understand their health care providers are less likely to be compliant with their medications or schedule follow up visits. I am proud to be the bridge that is needed for patient- centered care in underserved communities. Being part of an underrepresented group in healthcare makes me feel a sense of belonging and appreciation. I have found that most of our patients remember the times I have made them feel cared for. In fact, many still ask for me and many of them have transferred to my current pharmacy location. Being bilingual has truly helped build trust filled meaningful relationships with our new and current patients. Although, there are many paths for pharmacist, I believe that working in community pharmacist might be the best fit for me. Having around ten years of work experience in over six diverse community pharmacies, has allowed me to become culturally competent about many cultures and aid in providing the best patient-centered care possible. Going back to Sol Peralta’s quote, my culture and values I have learned have shaped me as a compassionate health care worker that will continue to be the bridge that helps Spanish speaking communities in my present and future career as a pharmacist. The Walgreens Multilingual Scholarship would be a huge help with my financial circumstance during the time I attend American University of Health sciences as a PharmD candidate, due to the fact that I am working less hours in order to make sure of my academic success. I appreciate the opportunity to be able to describe the positive impacts to patient-care related to the pharmacy field that I have experienced by being bilingual.