July 31, 2020
Elani Sanders thanks the Perry family for their support.
Elani Sanders thanks the Perry family for their support.

Dean V. L. Perry Scholarship Fund

Established on February 7, 2012.

To honor the great life and countless achievements of Dean Valener Perry, students, alumni, colleagues, family, and friends established the Dean V.L. Perry Scholarship Fund in 2012.  Dean Perry, was a driving force in student recruitment, admissions, and retention at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy for 40 years. 

Their scholarship recipient wrote the family the following thank you letter in recognition of their generosity in FY2020. 

Dear Perry family, 

I want to express how thankful I am to be receiving the Dean V.L. Perry Scholarship at the University of Michigan's College of Pharmacy. Thank you for establishing this scholarship! It is an honor to be a recipient of this scholarship to honor Dean Perry and her distinguished career. I'm committed to the field of pharmacy and would like to utilize my knowledge and skills to serve the community. Thanks to your generous donation, I'm able to continue pursuing my pharmacy education.

I am currently a rising P3 student with a passion for pharmacy and helping the underserved. I grew up in Detroit, Ml and one of my goals is to be able to give back to the community. I'm currently involved in leadership roles within HSP-UM, SNPhA, the UM-COP Diversity Committee, and PSA. I'm also a general member of APhA and have volunteered at various events such as the Safe Medication Disposal event and the Diabetes Health Fair. Next semester, I will hold leadership positions that are focused on community outreach. I intentionally applied for these types of positions because I wanted to continue to pursue my goal of serving and educating the community. I'm also an intern with the Michigan Medicine Internship program. I work in Research pharmacy where I've gained experience working in a non-traditional pharmacy field. After pharmacy school, I plan to pursue a residency and become a well­rounded pharmacist. I'm interested in many areas of pharmacy including ambulatory care focusing on Diabetes, Managed Care, and Long-Term Care.

Thank you so much for providing this generous scholarship. Pharmacy is my passion and I'm so grateful for this opportunity to continue pursing my goals. I will continue to challenge myself and take advantage of the many opportunities that the College of Pharmacy offers. Thank you again for enabling me to continue pursing my passion.

Elani Sanders, Class of 2021