Pharmacy student earns national scholarship from Barnes & Noble

Fourth-year pharmacy student (P4) Heeral Naik was over the moon when she learned she won the Barnes & Noble Corporation Scholarship. Naik applied for the scholarship last year, but it didn’t work out, so when she saw the application was open again, she jumped at the opportunity.

“It feels so good because, with rotations, I can’t work as much as I’d like to,” Naik explained. “Having this extra cushion is a real relief. It lets me focus more on my professional development instead of worrying about picking up extra shifts.”

While pharmacy is her passion, Naik also loves reading at Barnes & Noble. So, she wanted to make sure she did everything in her power to try to win this scholarship.

“I love visiting Barnes & Noble bookstores, so the scholarship felt personal to me,” Naik said. “This time, since the store means a lot to me, I even decided to write a physical thank-you note to the donor!”

Dean and SUNY Distinguished Professor Kanneboyina Nagaraju presented an official scholarship certificate to Naik and shared how proud he is of her.

“Heeral is an incredible student and leader at our school,” he said. “She’s everything you could hope for in a pharmacy student, and to see her recognized in this way is tremendous.”

Like any scholarship, this is a big boost for Naik — not just financially, but also with her confidence as a pharmacy student.

“I’m on rotations now, traveling between New York and New Jersey, and I’m also applying for residencies and attending conferences, which all come with extra expenses,” she said. “So receiving this support is wonderful, and I’m very grateful.”

Naik made sure to express her gratitude to Barnes & Noble for giving her this scholarship.

“I’m sure past and future recipients feel the same way. It’s incredibly generous of them, and I appreciate it so much,” she said.