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Anna Levis, Class of 2028

Anna is originally from a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She discovered her interest in pharmacy during high school through science fairs and volunteer work, leading her to pursue a Doctor of Pharmacy degree at USC through the Gamecock Pharmacy Assurance program. A campus visit that included an impromptu meeting with college faculty convinced her that USC was the right choice.

With an interest in ambulatory care and diabetes management, inspired by family members with Type 1 diabetes, Anna serves in leadership roles as vice president of recruitment for Kappa Epsilon, fighting diabetes initiative chair for the Student National Pharmaceutical Association, and head of social media for the American College of Clinical Pharmacy chapter. She is also a College of Pharmacy ambassador, P1 mentor and member of the college's recruitment committee. Outside the pharmacy school, she is involved with Epsilon Sigma Alpha, a community service organization. Anna currently works at an independent community pharmacy and is exploring career paths in patient care or academia. 

Ally Nielsen, Class of 2028

Ally is originally from Indian Trail, North Carolina, just southeast of Charlotte. She discovered her interest in pharmacy during high school after shadowing a pharmacist at a local independent pharmacy. This led her to pursue her Doctor of Pharmacy degree at USC after being accepted into both the South Carolina Honors College and the Gamecock Pharmacy Assurance Program.

With current interests in ambulatory care, clinical pharmacy, and pharmacy administration, Ally remains open to exploring new specialties. She serves as the Christian Pharmacists Fellowship International Southeast Regional Director and is a member of the USC College of Pharmacy Honors and Awards Committee, South Carolina Pharmacists Association Standard of Care Task Force, College of Pharmacy Ambassador Program, and Kappa Epsilon Recruitment Committee. She works as a pharmacy administrative intern at Prisma Health and as a teaching assistant for P1 Pharmacy Compounding and Community Lab Experiences. Her research focuses on the South Carolina Pharmacy Practice Act and potential development of a Standard of Care Model for pharmacists in South Carolina. Mentorship plays a meaningful role in her journey. She gives back by serving as a mentor to freshmen in the South Carolina Honors College, first-year pharmacy students, and international students through USC's Buddies Beyond Borders initiative. In her free time, Ally plays on the Gamecock Club Tennis Team. 

Noah Raganschmalz, Class of 2027

Noah is originally from Garland, Texas. After graduating from high school, Noah served nearly ten years in the U.S. Navy as a nuclear electrician. Having worked as a pharmacy technician during high school, he decided to pursue his Doctor of Pharmacy degree because of his already developed interest in the integration of various fields and a career that could impact change in the health of the community.

With an interest in regulatory affairs within the pharmaceutical industry as well as community pharmacy ownership, Noah serves in a leadership role for the Industry Pharmacy Organization as well as APhA, NCPA, and as a mentor for first- and second-year pharmacy students. His research includes topics such as regulatory evaluation of the state-by-state landscape for 503B licensing requirements and their impact on manufacturers, as well as developing a medicinal garden to create a more self-sustained compounding laboratory and improve student well-being.

Alex Wetherley, Class of 2027

Alex grew up in Lexington, South Carolina and joined the University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy through the Gamecock Pharmacy Assurance pathway. He chose to pursue pharmacy as a career after learning more from family and friends who are in the pharmacy profession and because of his interests in multiple areas of health care including pediatrics and critical care.

Alex has been active in many student organizations including Phi Delta Chi and the Pediatric Pharmacy Association. He serves as a university ambassador, providing prospective students and their families information about student life as a Gamecock and sharing their passion for USC. His research focused on the utilization of finerenone and how finerenone therapy is beneficial in patients with chronic kidney disease and type 2 diabetes. He also studied the differences compared to other mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists and the role of SGLT2 inhibitors along with finerenone, as well as general principles of kidney function and relevant disease states. He analyzed clinical trials surrounding finerenone efficacy and safety in certain populations as well as outcomes of the trials. Alex also serves as a teaching assistant.

Emily Frame, Class of 2026

Emily Frame is from Powhatan, Virginia, and completed her prerequisites through the Gamecock Pharmacy Assurance pathway at the University of South Carolina. She always knew she wanted to pursue a career in the sciences and decided to pursue pharmacy after completing a mentorship program in human genetics laboratory research. Emily is interested in a variety of fields including ambulatory care, compounding pharmacy, veterinary pharmacy, forensics and toxicology, and oncology pharmaceutical research.

Emily does research in overcoming breast cancer resistance in the Center for Translational Cancer Therapeutics under Dr. Eugenia Broude and Dr. Amanda Sharko. She currently serves as the president of the Zeta chapter Phi Lambda Sigma (PLS), the pharmacy leadership honor society, and the vice-president of the Beta Alpha chapter of Rho Chi, the pharmacy academic honor society. Emily is also involved with American Pharmacists Association Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) and Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA). She is also a student in the South Carolina Honors College, a Magellan Scholar, and a previous teaching assistant in the Compounding and Community Labs.

Sophia Knudsen, Class of 2026

Sophia Knudsen is from North Prairie, Wisconsin and completed her Pre-Pharmacy studies of USC. She is pursuing a career in pharmacy for the direct patient care opportunities, life-long learning, and availability of specialty and leadership roles. Sophia is interested in pursuing a residency and specializing in either geriatric or psychiatric pharmacy. She is passionate about directly impacting patient outcomes, advocating for the autonomy of pharmacists in different fields, and serving underserved populations.

Sophia is currently president of the Alpha Lambda chapter of Kappa Epsilon as well as Patient Care vice president of APhA-ASP at USC. She is a student in the South Carolina Honors College, a Magellan Scholar, and a pharmacy intern at Prisma Health Baptist Hospital. Sophia is also involved in pharmacy outcomes research and the Student Society of Health System Pharmacists.

   

Expand allWalker Leadership Scholars Program Alumni

Class	Walker Leadership Scholar
2025	Maegan Lamb Current position: PGY1 Acute Care Pharmacy Resident, Moses Cone Hospital
2025	Chancellor Nguyen Current position: Pharmacist, University Hospitals
2024	Nikki Chen Current position: Global Regulatory Policy and Strategy Manager, Eli Lilly and Company
2024	Danny Schreiber Current position: PGY2 HIV Care / Infectious Disease Pharmacy Resident, University of Illinois Chicago Retzky College of Pharmacy
2023	Jordan Jones Current position: Clinical Pharmacist, MUSC Health
2023	Shannon Leighton Current position: Clinical Pharmacist, Novant Health
2022	Catherine (Haley) Cave Current position: Formulation Investigator, Nephron Pharmaceuticals
2022	James Orban III Current position: Clinical Oncology Pharmacist, Lexington Medical Center
2021	Alexis Caronis Current position: Associate Director of Drug Safety, Fingerpaint Branding
2021	Cassidy Hall Kemp Current position: Pharmacy System Support Specialist, Prisma Health
2020	Heather Hembree Current position: Senior Integrated Clinic Pharmacist, CenterWell Primary Care
2020	Robert Ouzts Current position: Pharmacy Manager, Anderson Pharmacy
2019	Meaghan Freiter Murphy Current position: Pharmacy & Regulatory Affairs Manager, Surescripts
2019	Anna Todd McAbee Current position: Clinical Oncology Pharmacist, Prisma Health Specialty Pharmacy
2018	Laura Jane Baker Straw Current position: Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Prisma Health Advanced Heart Health Center
2018	Taylor Barnes Lee Current position: Pharmacy Supervisor, Orlando Health, Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children
2017	Parth Parikh Current position: Emergency Medicine Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Our Lady of the Lake
2017	Kendall Tucker Current position: Clinical Assistant Professor, Oregon State University