UGA College of Pharmacy Doctor of Pharmacy Class of 2027
PINNING CEREMONY
Saturday, March 21, 2026 | 2 pm
UGA Performing Arts Center
PROGRAM
Processional
• Audience, please stand.
Welcome
• Kelly M. Smith, PharmD ’92,’93, Dean
Sponsor’s Greeting
• Taylor Truelove, PharmD ’11, Healthcare Supervisor, Walgreens
Introduction of Keynote Speaker
• Stephanie Mae Langga, Class President
Keynote Address
• David Pope, PharmD ’04, Chief Pharmacy Officer, XiFin Pharmacy Solutions
Presentation and Pinning of Students
• Joshua Caballero, PharmD, Associate Professor
• Duc Do, PhD, Associate Dean, Student Affairs & Enrollment Management
• William Huang, PharmD ’04, Clinical Instructor
• Jordan Khail, PharmD, Lecturer
• Brian Seagraves, PharmD ’04, Academic Professional
Presentation of I.Z. Harris Award
• Andrew Darley, PharmD ’12, Assistant Dean, Professional Education
Closing Remarks
• Stephanie Mae Langga, Class President
Recessional
• Audience, please stand.
Reception will immediately follow the ceremony at the adjacent Georgia Museum of Art building.
Doctor of Pharmacy Class of 2027
Simin Abbas
Sergio Alejo
Mina Amirkhani
Jordan Austin
Hyunseo Bae
Jake Barnes
Caroline Barrett
Emily-Rose Barron
Karsin Bass
Cheryl Bates
Meagan Beall
Ethan Benton
Pranav Bhatt
Tristen Blocker
Anneslei Breyne
Renita Bridgemohan
Aubriana Brown
Sydney Bumgarner
Kyndell Bynum
William Luke Campbell
Peyton Cathcart
Li Chang
Alexis Chapman
Julio Chavez
Cindy Chen
FNU Christy Joby
Clovis Compaore
Zoie Cooke Lamb
Diego Couvillion
Talexiah Crane
Symone Crowder
Ajdin Cubro
William Culpepper
Bailey DeFoor
Derrik Duarte
Michaela Duke
Emily Dyke
Gordon Elrod Jr
Leah Eubanks
Madison Fenton
Legend Foster
Cenovio Fraire
Fataba Gailor
Kathleen Gannon
Emily Giles
Aya Haddad
Tashnia Haq
Allison Hardwell
Kara Harper
Nicholas Harriger
Logan Hartzell
Viola Hasko
William Helton III
Ellen Hendrix
Alyn Herndon
Devin Hicks
Josy Hill
Torre Hillhouse
Nicholas Holthaus
Maria Ibrahim
MD Islam
Jerin Jamil
Christopher Jang
Sidney Jones
Ashley Jorgensen
Melina Kelley
Ajla Kojic
Yu Li Lam
Aleesia-D'nest Lampkin
Stephanie Mae Langga
Brandon Lanier
Rebecca Lau
Angie Lee
Victoria Li
Michael Lim
Margaret MacMillan
Laura Elizabeth Mason
Sevyn McCollum
Adrianna McCoy
Samantha McDonald
Marlee McMullan
Paige Miller
Emily Moore
Spencer Morris
Stacy Moua
Ariel Najarian
Diana Nguyen
Diana L. Nguyen
Linh Nguyen
Emily Nieman
Anthonia Oladeji
Jessica Osborn
Olivia Ostrander
Caroline Owens
Savannah Pannell
An Ngoc Thien Pham
Baylie Jade Phillips
Maurissa Proffitt
Ansley Reese
Madison Reyome
Garrison Rhudy
Caleb Roberson
Kendall Rogers
Collin Sanders
Carly Schnable
Averi Schrews
Randall Schwartz
Daniel Shin
Steven Shine
Maddie Sikes
Ethan Smith
Mary Katherine Smith
Zachary Stacy
Madelyn Stone
Joshwa Summer
Lillie Sumner
Annie Swan
EmmaLi Taghan
Abdugaffar Tashbulatov
Cassidy Terry
Tanner Thomas
Jacob Thomasson
Olivia Thrift
Caroline Turpin
Cooper Boone Utley
Romina Valdes Daussa
Emily Vargas
Marggie Vazquez
Janessa Vo
Olivia Walega
Alyssa Watson
Madison Wiklund
Analise Williams
Dawson Williams
Kaila Williams
Marlie Wingate
Amy Xu
History of the Pinning Ceremony at the UGA College of Pharmacy
The history of Pinning Ceremonies for healthcare professionals dates back centuries, yet UGA Pharmacy was a trend setter in this time-honored tradition.
In the early 1200s, the nursing profession initiated the ritual of pinning future nurses, symbolizing that they had earned the privilege of serving and caring for others. Through the years, other health professions embraced this ceremonial rite of passage. Yet, it took the field of pharmacy almost eight centuries to adopt this symbolism and the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy was the trailblazer.
Under the leadership of then-Dean Svein Øie, UGA Pharmacy established the first pinning ceremony in the United States in 2000 for Doctor of Pharmacy students as they concluded their third year of study. Other schools and colleges in the country quickly followed suit. Recognizing a student’s transition from “learner” to “practitioner,” the ceremony is considered a formal send-off for students transitioning to their final, experiential year of their Doctor of Pharmacy training. It symbolizes the passage of the torch of knowledge and the completion of classroom and academic studies into a world of professionalism and practice.
The I.Z. Harris Award
The I.Z. Harris Award was established at UGA Pharmacy in 1957 by Irving Zulie Harris, a 1915 alumnus and significant donor to the College, who was a successful pharmacist, chemist, and entrepreneur. Unique in its selection process, the I.Z. Harris Award recognizes an outstanding third-year student selected from nominations submitted by fellow classmates.
A special thank you to our sponsor:
