The final semester before graduation can be an exciting but equally daunting time but for Ferris biology and pre-pharmacy senior Erin Duma, it’s a time to remember all that Ferris offered her.
Duma is one of many students to be graduating from Ferris this spring but will be returning next fall to begin her journey as a graduate student.
Duma, who has a twin brother also attending Ferris, has two minors, one in Spanish and another in women and gender studies. She was previously a pre-med student for three and a half years before switching over to pharmacy.
“When I work in the medical field in the future, I would love to be in the women’s health field. I think it’s really important to support women and to have a better knowledge of various cultures and how women are impacted by practices around the world. It will make me a better pharmacist and citizen because I have a broader and more open-minded perspective from the things I’ve read and seen,” Duma said.
While she has an idea of what she hopes to pursue, planning the near future still remains a bit difficult.
“It’s hard to make plans in the future when the next four years will be devoted to grad school. I’m hoping to do well and learn how to be an excellent pharmacist in that time. It would be nice to take a vacation or two. I’m just working towards establishing my career so I can land a stable job and then figure out more of my future,” Duma said.
Ending her final year of undergrad on a positive note, Duma has found her senior year to be relaxing compared to previous years, in which she took 16 credits in addition to being employed as a resident advisor (RA).
This year, Duma is still an RA but was able to reduce her course load to 12 credits. Duma is looking forward to a smooth semester before recommitting herself to the workload of pharmacy school.
With Ferris being her first school of choice, Duma found the overall transition overwhelming but soon found a group of friends that made the experience much easier for her to adapt.
“I have full confidence in her ability to succeed in pharmacy school and was very excited for her when she got accepted—she worked so hard in undergrad. However, I am going to miss her terribly,” Ferris pre-med senior Amanda Gilliam said.
Having originally worked as a desk service assistant (DSA) during her sophomore year, Duma decided to apply for an RA position and has been working as an RA for the last two years at Ferris where she met Ferris elementary education senior Melissa Harvill.
“Erin and I clicked really well when we first met at our group meeting a couple of years ago. We come to each other when we need advice, just to talk or an ear and shoulder to lend. We have gotten so close because of how much we share with each other,” Harvill said.
With all that college gave to her, it’s only right that Duma wants to give back to students who are coming up on their final semesters at Ferris.
“I think the most important thing for juniors to keep in mind is that you will most likely only experience college like this once. Don’t get too caught up in school to enjoy yourself but also make sure school is still a priority. Savor the last year or two that you have here before you have to go be an adult, because it’s scary out there in the real world. Also, keep making friends and being involved because a lot of times your original group of friends will start to graduate and it’s still good to have people around to support you,” Duma said.
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