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UHCOP Welcomes Nearly 150 PharmD, PhD and MS Graduates to Cougar Alumni Ranks, Honors Class of 1968 Golden Cougars

With hundreds of family members and friends in attendance, nearly 150 graduates of the UH College of Pharmacy's Pharm.D., Ph.D. and M.S. degree programs celebrated the achievement of but one more milestone on their journey as lifelong learners at the May 10, 2018, Commencement at UH's Cullen Performance Hall. 

A total of 115 Pharm.D. candidates, 20 Ph.D. candidate, and eight M.S. candidates earned degrees from the college for the 2017-18 academic year.

Among the graduates were 27 members of the Rho Chi Society, the Pharmacy academic honor society, and 16 members of the Phi Lambda Sigma Pharmacy Leadership Society. Of the candidates, five graduated Summa Cum Laude (3.9-4.0 cumulative Grade Point Average), nine graduated Magna Cum Laude (3.70-3.89 GPA), and 18 graduated Cum Laude (3.50-3.69 GPA). 

The college also recognized its largest cohort to date of candidates – six – completing the Pharmacy Certificate in Hispanic Healthcare.  

Among the highlights of the commencement were: 

  • Recognition of UHCOP alumni Robert Boykin and John Stephenson, members of the college's Class of 1968 who walked the stage again to celebrate their 50th anniversary of their graduation and their "Golden Cougar" status;    
  • Greetings from the UH System Board of Regents by The Honorable Jack Moore; and
  • A powerful and emotional Student's Response by Pharm.D. candidate and Class President Stephanie Ho, who shared the inspirational story of her immigrant father who passed away during her UHCOP education along with the lessons he taught her and how her pharmacy family helped her make the father and daughter's dream of becoming a pharmacist come true. 

Additional photos from the 2018 Commencement are posted in the Flickr web album, and the video recording of the Commencement also is available online.