Raising My Hand: A Student Perspective on the Aspiring Academics Program

The Aspiring Academics Program (AAP), established by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy in 2023, is a yearlong program that provides student pharmacists in the last year of their didactic training with the opportunity to enhance their knowledge about the inner workings of academic pharmacy. Students complete the program alongside a home faculty mentor from their institution and a group of 3 other students, each representing a different institution, led by a group faculty mentor, also from a different institution. In this commentary, a student pharmacist offers perspective on the experience gained from their participation in the second cohort of the AAP. Topics discussed include fostering collaboration with other cohort students, building a peer network, maximizing participation in the program, the AAP's influence in shaping a positive pharmacy school experience, and the direction it provided in creating a roadmap for a future pharmacy academician. Strategies are provided that can be used by both pharmacy faculty who are mentoring future pharmacy educators and student pharmacists who are pursuing a career in academic pharmacy. Lastly, a call to action is proposed for ongoing growth and refinement of the program.