A resilient spirit carried Joy Khoury from war-torn Syria to the commencement stage at Ohio Northern University, where he was awarded his Doctor of Pharmacy this May.
“Coming from a fragile country and seeing war firsthand made me attach to this dream even more,” he says, “just grasping it with both hands and never letting go.”
Joy was midway through pharmacy school in his home country when a civil war broke out, prompting his family to immigrate to the U.S. While waiting in Syria for his visa approval, Joy perfected his English and volunteered with children displaced from the war.
A year after moving to California, Joy revived his dream. He completed prerequisite courses at a community college before earning acceptance into the four-year PharmD program in the Raabe College of Pharmacy.
“I fell in love with the campus and I felt like I fit here better than anywhere else,” he said.
Although he initially struggled with “imposter syndrome,” Joy utilized the counseling center and sought guidance from his professors. He refined his study habits, adapted to the rigors of the program, and proved he could excel.
Outside the classroom, Joy forged close connections with faculty and peers, played club volleyball, and served as a teaching assistant. During periods when the situation in Syria deteriorated and he worried about friends and family still living there, his professors provided the empathy and flexibility he needed to stay focused.
“The fact that they are willing to work with whatever circumstances a student is going through,” he says, “tells you a lot about who they are—not just as faculty members, but as human beings.”
After graduation, Joy plans to marry his partner and start a family. He is also eager to begin his PGY-1 residency at Mercy Health St. Rita’s Medical Center in Lima.
“I started pharmacy school in my home country in 2015, so I’ve been a student for quite a while,” he says. “Now, I can begin giving back. I truly believe that working in healthcare is one of the most humanitarian roles you can play in your life and lifetime.”
