P1 PharmD student will give back

It’s Manuel Sucuzhanay’s nature to give back. The P1 Doctor of Pharmacy student even went to a high school for public service (within walking distance of his home) in Brooklyn. At EBC High School for Public Service, he volunteered at a day care center and also in public gardens. The volunteer work helped motivate him to become a community pharmacist.

“From the community I come from, there are a lot of underrepresented people and from my personal experience, I know a lot of them don’t go to walk-ins or to see a doctor because they have no money to pay,” Sucuzhanay said. “There is often a language barrier as well, so I want to close that gap and provide a place where people won’t be as afraid.”

Sucuzhanay understands the language barrier many people face. His family is from Ecuador and his parents speak only Spanish. He sees being bilingual as a benefit.

“I am mostly grateful to have that experience,” he said. “A few people I know come from a Spanish background but they don’t speak it. I’m grateful because I’m able to communicate with different people.”

A May 2021 graduate of Binghamton University with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, Sucuzhanay is one of four siblings and was into science as a kid. “I have asthma, so I spent a lot of time in hospitals or doctors’ offices on a nebulizer,” he said. “I was fascinated with what the doctors’ and nurses did, and then loved high school chemistry.

“When I came to Binghamton, I was deciding between medical or pharmacy school, and once I knew there was a pharmacy school here, my mind was made up,” he added. “I didn’t worry that the school wasn’t accredited because once I came here and had the tour, I was reassured it would be accredited (the school achieved accredited status in June 2021), and I knew it would be a top-quality education.”

The past year was hectic because of COVID, Sucuzhanay said. “I had to get used to the new type of atmosphere.”

As an undergraduate, Sucuzhanay was a teaching assistant for biology (for Erica Stevens) and chemistry (for John Swierk) courses. “It’s important to engage myself in educational purposes,” he said. “They were very helpful and gave me a lot of perspectives on different things that I found helpful in my own journey at Binghamton. I like to think of myself as a very helpful person. If I have the knowledge, why not spread it?”

He was also a member of the Lambda Sigma Upsilon Latino Fraternity Inc. as well as the Pre-Pharmacy Association, and he continues to work as a lifeguard at the East and West gym pools on campus.

“When you interact with different people and places it makes you more enriched,” he said. “Right now, I lifeguard in both gyms and for the master’s swimming group. It’s good to get to know older people who are more knowledgeable.”

He’s looking forward to the change in the atmosphere as classes begin this year. Online classes last year were “weird,” he said, and he likes to be engaging and fully expects to become involved in organizations. “I’m mostly looking forward to meeting different types of people here and beginning my career so I can achieve the goals I’ve set for myself.”

“Working in a community pharmacy back in my hometown is my ultimate goal,” he said. “I want to improve the healthcare there. Doctors do what they can, but I want to provide another outlet for that community.”

Sucuzhanay keeps his goals in mind and looks to what he’ll be doing five to 10 years from now. As a first-year student at Binghamton, he knew he would be going to graduate school or doing something in chemistry. “When I write them down, it feels helpful, so it’s little notes I take on a monthly basis to make sure I’m on track,” he said.

In his spare time, Sucuzhanay likes to play soccer, work out at the gym and, occasionally, swim. He likes to be outdoors.

He’s planning to adopt a dog from the local Humane Society. “It’s a mixed breed dog that I want to name Loki,” he said. “I enjoyed the dog a lot at first sight and having it will keep me engaged and sane during my time at pharmacy school.”