Christina Rivera '06

For Christina Rivera, the world of pharmacy is the perfect combination of helping patients and working with a variety of medical professionals.

Rivera attends Ohio State University, where she is studying to be a doctor of pharmacy. She credits Allegheny with giving her the skills needed to succeed in a professional program. "It may be a bit cliché, but Allegheny taught me how to learn," she says. "The professors gave me useful study tips and problems that sharpened my logic and thinking skills." Christina found the focused research required for the comp to be particularly helpful,"like a precursor to becoming a professional."

For Pharm.D., and other health professional hopefuls, Christina notes the changing atmosphere of the medical world. "The medical profession is moving into team-based medicine, where doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals see patients collaboratively," she says. "Working in a team, which is emphasized at Allegheny, is a very important skill."

Christina also advises that admissions directors are looking for something extra and interesting in applicants. She displayed this uniqueness in her choice of majors: chemistry and English. "Crossing the fields of science and literary art was quite an experience, one I wouldn't change for the world," she says. "My life isn't just pharmacy, it's art and music and film. Sharpening the mind in different ways has the same effect: better problem-solving and logic skills."

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The First Five is a series of profiles celebrating the accomplishments of recent Allegheny College graduates in their first five years as alumni. Read more First Five profiles here.