From Eagle Scout to pharmacist: How Emily Mocyk is helping women break barriers
In 2021, she became one of the first female Eagle Scouts in New York state
The road to becoming a pharmacist is a long one. It takes dedication, perseverance and the will to be great — all things that current pharmacy student Emily Mocyk knows about.
Growing up in Jordan, N.Y., a little farm town a half-hour west of Syracuse, she learned the value of hard work at an early age. She also learned the importance of helping others.
“About 10 minutes from my house, there’s a pharmacy where I started this whole thing. I got into pharmacy because it’s a combination of all of the things that I like,” Mocyk said. “I wanted a healthcare professional to help other people.”
The hands-on aspect of the job is what grabbed her attention from the beginning.
“I want to work with my hands,” she said. “I know that retail pharmacy is what most people think of when they think of pharmacy, but the world of pharmacy behind that, where you can compound the medicine and make appointments and things like that is really what hooked me. I get to do different things every day with different people doing different tasks.”
As difficult as the road to becoming a pharmacist may be, it’s nothing Mocyk isn’t prepared for. Her drive and determination has already been proven. In 2021, she became one of the first female Eagle Scouts in New York state — an incredible accomplishment she is rightfully still proud of.
“I got involved in Boy Scouts from a young age because my brother was involved. I would go, too, and I would do my homework,” she said. “Then, over time, my scoutmaster roped me in to doing activities with the boys. Eventually, my other friend Frankie and I got involved in a venture crew. It’s a co-ed program of scouting, and we were sent off to national youth leadership training.”
In 2019, the Boy Scouts of America allowed females to be involved in its program — a huge moment that shaped the future of thousands of girls, including Mocyk.
“It was so awesome to be a trailblazer, but it was also super-interesting because I started out extremely shy, and then everybody knew my name,” she said. “People would come up to me and be like, ‘Hey you’re Emily! That’s co cool!’ I saw the progress in myself from not being able to talk to people to being very open. They are videos of me in second grade absolutely bawling my eyes out because I had to talk in front of my class, let alone a bunch of random people, to being one of the first female Eagle Scouts.”
Being able to come out of her shell helped Mocyk find her confidence, which led to other opportunities.
She shared some advice for others: “Networking helped me a lot in getting me to where I am now. Don’t be afraid to reach out to people and ask those questions. My first job at Kinney Drugs and getting into Sea Scouts and Eagle Scouts were because I took a chance and wasn’t afraid to reach out and ask questions. Networking will get you anywhere you need to go.”
Through it all, Mocyk hasn’t forgotten where she’s from and the people who stuck by her side this whole time.
“I couldn’t have done all this without my family,” she said. “I live in Binghamton for school, but when I go home on weekends, they’re always there to listen to me, whether it be complaining about being stressed or just needing a break from school and talking about something random. Every time I come home, I have a cute little dog at the door, and I have dinner on the table. So having them there for me is amazing.”
Mocyk is still involved in Scouts as well as Sea Scouts, a program through the Boy Scouts of America. She received the rank of Quartermaster on Thursday, March 28.