Finding Focus

Alexandria Arnett will tell anyone she always felt like she had a zoo at home. Her pets — past and present — include a fish, frogs, geckos, gerbils and a snake. Even on Zoom calls, her cat, Nala, makes appearances, crawling in front of the camera.

So, it would seem natural that Arnett would land within some realm of the veterinary spectrum. In reality, it took a lot of time and several relocations to realize that she wanted to work around animals.

Now, the third-year pharmacy student is looking into veterinary pharmacy residency programs. She is even responsible for chartering the TTUHSC American College of Veterinary Pharmacists student chapter. In May, she finished her term as the student pharmacist board member, a position she earned over applicants from across the country.

“It’s really just exciting to look at it as you’re going one step forward in a direction that you believe in,” Arnett said. “And you’re advocating for something that you believe has a huge potential for all future pharmacists.”

For the San Diego, California, native, this is her second stint in higher education. After high school, she went to the University of Texas at San Antonio but dropped out after one year and returned to San Diego.

While there, she learned about a pharmacy technician program through CVS and found she loved working with patients. She joined a local community college, passed her classes and then started the process of finishing her degree in Texas. After some student and faculty interviews, she decided TTUHSC was right for her.

“I realized (college) wasn’t just because I wasn’t capable; it’s because of that time in my life,” Arnett said. “When I was 18, I wasn’t focused.”

Now, her focus is spreading the message of why veterinary pharmacy could give an added boost to all of her peers. She talks to students in other pharmaceutical programs around the country. She speaks on podcasts about how veterinary pharmacy can add to one’s educational experience and her role with the pharmacist board.

“I just started diving deeper and deeper, and now I’m here today,” Arnett said. “I have all these resources for future pharmacists who want to look into this field.”