Rebecca Merzke

Professional Interests:
I grow succulents and drive my kids around to their extracurricular activities on the weekends! I truly enjoy watching them learn and grow and seeing life through their eyes. I’m also enjoying watching “The Pitt” and “The Gilded Age” when I have a spare moment to myself.

Interest in the PSF Executive Committee:
I participated in the Career and Leadership Development Student Advisory Group this past year and I really enjoyed my time getting to work with other students across the country and see what they are doing. I want to be able to continue working with other students on a larger scale and I look forward to seeing what we accomplish in the coming year! 

How being a member of ASHP has assisted in my personal and professional development:
ASHP has been an organization that has a mission and goals that I identify and align with. Being able to be involved at my local level got me interested in how I can take what I have learned and apply it to a national level. I have met many amazing people in the pharmacy world who have been so gracious with their time and knowledge to help shape me into the person I hope to be in the future. I look forward to how I will be involved with this organization post-graduation to be able to make an impact on the profession.

Goals for the year as a PSFEC Member:
I want to be able to highlight the amazing work that pharmacy students across the country are doing and to shine a light on the amazing leaders that are developing their skills as they prepare for a career in pharmacy. Being able to recognize the amazing work that students are doing to advance the profession has been a goal of mine for a while and I look forward to helping other students find their voice!

Fun Fact:
This is not my first career! I was a store manager at Home Depot for 16 years prior to going back to school for a business degree. However, a chance meeting with another student in an entry level chemistry class helped me find a job at a hospital outpatient pharmacy here in New Mexico and it was that job that changed my career trajectory from business to pharmacy. I still have a lot of business skills and characteristics that I bring to the Pharmacy table but I’m glad that I switched and found this path. It has been a life-changing experience. I also have 3 children and getting to teach them fun pharmacy facts as they go on this journey with me has been a blast!