By Haley Tenore

When Sunny Makwana began his advanced studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, he was a self-described introvert from a small town in Southwest Virginia. But he found his voice – and a higher profile – at the School of Pharmacy, where the student leader earns one degree this spring and will continue his doctoral pursuit in the fall.

Makwana, a first-generation college student whose family emigrated from India, grew up in Abingdon. And while there was a tight-knit Indian community, “there weren’t a lot of people from different backgrounds in my hometown,” he said.

“Once coming to college, the diversity in college is so stark,” said Makwana, who earned his undergraduate degree in biochemistry at Virginia Tech. On the Blacksburg campus and then at VCU in Richmond, “everyone has their unique background and unique story.”

Makwana’s story has some familiar elements. He had always been interested in math and science, and his parents originally encouraged him to study medicine. But at Virginia Tech, his pivot toward pharmacy developed from the opportunity to do lab work.

“The decision was really from getting a firsthand experience with research. It just clicked for me,” he said. “After a couple of months of experience in the lab, it just felt like it was for me.”

At VCU, the School of Pharmacy offers a Pharm.D./Ph.D. dual degree program, which allows students to obtain a Pharm.D. degree – which Makwana earns this spring – as well as a Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences. His family has embraced his new direction, and he plans to focus his doctoral research on respiratory pharmaceutics, including how inhaled medication affects the lungs and body.

“I wanted more of a research side of things – bench work, especially, was super interesting to me. So, I looked for other career paths and eventually found that VCU offered a dual degree,” Makwana said. “It’s been super satisfying.” 

Also satisfying: He has had opportunities to break out of his shell at the School of Pharmacy, including by serving as student body president and delivering a speech to the school’s Galen Society of donors. He also served in the SCIE Ambassador Program for students interested in promoting inclusion on the medical campus.

Before VCU, “I was introverted, closed off, to myself, and then I came here, and I think within the first month, people were telling me, ‘You should run for class president,’” Makwana said. He took their advice.

“I ended up enjoying the position so much that I ran again and was class president for my P2 year,” he said. “The transition led me to be student body president P3 year, which was an astronomical task. It might have burnt me out a little, but I enjoyed helping other students from my position.”

His current classmates couldn’t imagine Makwana as being shy or introverted. He now feels more outgoing – even comfortable talking to strangers – and friends have told him he is a completely different person from his pre-VCU days.

Kelechi “K.C.” Ogbonna, Pharm.D., dean of the School of Pharmacy, first spoke to Makwana when he interviewed for pharmacy school. Ogbonna was also the one to verbally offer Makwana a spot at the school over the phone.

“Sunny is an individual that is highly competent and incredibly diligent, but also incredibly respectful. So, early on, I knew that he had the aptitude to be successful, but also I knew he had the aptitude to be an incredible leader, because he's selfless in everything that he does,” Ogbonna said.

Still, there were nerves before speaking at a Galen Society dinner. Makwana remembers flipping through the speech on his phone – and not touching his food while preparing to go on stage.

“What I took away was, the public speaking part wasn’t scary. The scary part was the time leading up to it. Once I was up there, it was fine,” he said, with appreciation for how his VCU experience prepared him. “I don’t think I could have done that speech coming into P1 year.”