UMN Crookston health sciences senior, Deaira Gresham, has persevered with positivity throughout her life to get to where she is today. Gresham has always had a passion for helping others, but it wasn’t until her mom suggested she try pharmacy, that Gresham’s passion for health sciences and medicine grew.
Gresham first arrived at UMN Crookston because of the opportunity she was offered to play on the Golden Eagle volleyball team. Furthermore, in UMN Crookston, Gresham found the comfort and safety of a small campus that happened to be relatively close to home. As a high school student, Gresham quickly realized that she held small campuses with close knit communities in high esteem.
“Coming to visit UMN Crookston, I could tell it wouldn’t be an intimidating campus or a hard transition for me,” mentioned Gresham.
Gresham truly values the availability of faculty and staff throughout her years at UMN Crookston. She is convinced with their help she is thriving in her health sciences classes and on her way to pharmacy school.
“My absolute favorite thing about UMN Crookston is the faculty and staff. You really get to know each and every one of them really well, which makes the undergraduate experience a lot easier. It was comforting to know that I could reach out, or even call them whenever I needed help,” commented Gresham.
So many people have made an impact on Gresham’s journey throughout her undergraduate career, but certain professors truly stand out to her.
“Kelsey Torgerson, my physics teacher really made me want to learn more each day and Tony Schroeder helped me out time and time again as my advisor,” recalls Gresham.
Gresham feels confident going into pharmacy school with the endless skills that UMN Crookston has taught her. Being a full time athlete and student, Gresham had to learn how to manage her time to the fullest and stay on top of her work every week. Moreover, Gresham ensured she prioritized her tasks and communicated with her professors on a weekly basis to maintain her coursework.
In the next year, Gresham will be attending pharmacy school at the University of Minnesota Duluth campus.
“Working in the pharmaceutical industry, even before starting pharmacy school, has really opened my eyes to the complexity of medications, there are so many different terms and specifications unique to every patient. It is crucial to be focused and know exactly what you are doing,” explained Gresham.
Throughout her whole journey, Gresham’s number one motivator has been her mom. Gresham’s mom taught her that even when times get hard or you fall, you have to get back up and keep trying. Gresham has taken a positive minded approach to every obstacle she has faced in her journey up until now and will continue to do so.
In the future Gresham hopes to give back to UMN Crookston by offering advice to any and all students, but specifically students hoping to go into the pharmaceutical field. She also hopes to be able to offer internship opportunities to future students, giving them the exposure they need to be a successful pharmacist.
About UMN Crookston
One of five campuses in the University of Minnesota System, the University of Minnesota Crookston cultivates curiosity by engaging students in hands-on learning connecting theory to practice. As the experienced leader in delivering education online, the Crookston campus offers a distinctive learning environment providing personal attention and mentorship to develop leaders, lifelong learners, and engaged citizens. Visit Crookston at umcrookston.edu
About UMN
The University of Minnesota System, with campuses in Crookston, Duluth, Morris, Rochester, and the Twin Cities, is driven by a singular vision of excellence. We are proud of our land-grant mission of world-class education, groundbreaking research, and community-engaged outreach, and we are unified in our drive to serve Minnesota. Learn more at system.umn.edu
