Meet Pittsburgh Foundation scholar Taylor LaffeyPharmaceutical student discusses the Leonard and Annette Silverman PITT Pharmacy School Fund.
Taylor Laffey. University Of Pittsburgh scholar. Image by Joshua Franzos.
The Pittsburgh Foundation offers up to $3 million annually in scholarships for students, with the Foundation’s Leonard and Annette Silverman PITT Pharmacy School Fund offering scholarships to doctoral students at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy. Taylor Laffey is a pharmaceutical student at the University of Pittsburgh expecting to complete her studies by 2023. Laffey expresses what led her to the pharmaceutical field and how the Leonard and Annette Silverman PITT Pharmacy School Fund scholarship from the Foundation affected her education.
“I’m a first generation college student. Going through the process of applying to college has been exciting and scary at the same time. Pharmaceutical school is very expensive. Not without a good reason, but it still is. So all of the school loans and the financial burden at the end of all of it is very scary. I appreciate any amount of help I’ve received, and The Pittsburgh Foundation has definitely helped to ease some of the worry of paying it all back through the Leonard and Annette Silverman PITT Pharmacy School Fund scholarship.
“I come from the North Hills of Pittsburgh and I always kind of knew that I would be studying at the University of Pittsburgh. Now I’m in the accelerated pharmacy program at the university and expecting to graduate within the near future. It’s surreal seeing how far I’ve come.
“Before my undergraduate education, I knew that I wanted to help people. However, I wasn’t aware of all the different avenues that a pharmaceutical degree provides for how you can help people — either directly through a psychiatric hospital or indirectly by working with a pharmaceutical company.
“As I enter into my doctoral studies, I’m more certain that I would want to work with a company developing clinical trials or educating physicians about medicines and alternatives. I’ve been able to work as a lab researcher, and interact with professors and professionals in the industry who helped me decide how I want to approach science, medicine and help those in need. Thanks in part to the Foundation, I’m more sure of the path I want to take following my time at the University of Pittsburgh.
My suggestion to other students applying to scholarships is to just to do it! Many students aren’t sure whether they qualify or if they will get a scholarship. The biggest hurdle in the process is overcoming that doubt. Apply to any and every scholarship you can and you’ll be surprised just how much you’ll be proven wrong.”
The Pittsburgh Foundation annually awards $2.8 million in scholarships annually to students seeking financial assistance. Information about scholarship opportunities offered by the Foundation, and the scholarship search tool and application, can be found at our website.
