Self-Confidence Helps Adibe Earn Dallas Student Leadership Award
Pharmacy student receives 2016 Dean’s Student Leadership Award for the Dallas/Fort Worth campus
Faith is a small word, but it has played a large role in Cindy Adibe’s life.
“Since I was young, I’ve always taken leaps of faiths and trusted that I will be able
to handle whatever responsibility I undertake,” Adibe said. “I’m not afraid of failure
because that is how I grow.”
By trusting her own judgment and abilities—and embracing the lessons that failing
can teach—Adibe has been able to achieve many things during her four years at the
Texas Tech University Health Science Center (TTUHSC) School of Pharmacy. She can add
to that list of accomplishments the 2016 Dean’s Student Leadership Award for the Dallas/Fort
Worth (DFW) campus.
“I’ve worked with some great leaders at Texas Tech and TTUHSC and I am blessed, humbled
and honored to receive this distinction,” Adibe said. “This award is a testament to
all of my hard work, not only during pharmacy school, but also during my journey to
pharmacy school. Hard work pays off.”
In addition to her classwork and experiential rotations, Adibe’s hard work has included
serving TTUHSC as a President’s Select-Ambassador. She’s also held several student
organization posts, including regent (president) for Kappa Psi; historian and Dallas
campus executive director for the American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student
Pharmacists (APhA-ASP); and a committee chair for Phi Lambda Sigma. She was also an
active member of the Texas Tech Student Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the
Texas Pharmacy Association.
In nominating her classmate for the award, Jasmine Carter described Adibe as a selfless
individual who dedicated countless volunteer hours to the community while in school.
“Cindy is truly an inspiration to other students,” Cater added. “She leads by example
and she doesn’t let anything stand in the way of her passion to serve others.”
One event through which Adibe serves others began during her second year of pharmacy
school in Amarillo. As a volunteer dance instructor at the local Boys & Girls Club,
Adibe helped a group of children learn several hip-hop dance routines, including one
they eventually performed with several Kappa Psi members in a February 2014 dance
video.
Teaching the dance classes gave Adibe an idea for another project she started through
APhA-ASP called Let the Music Move You! Once she arrived in Dallas during the summer
of 2014, Adibe started seriously planning the project as a way to reach out to underserved
children in the Dallas area. She helped bring together three School of Pharmacy student
entities—APhA-ASP, Kappa Psi and the Texas Tech Pediatric Pharmacy Group—and in November
2014, the Dallas campus hosted approximately 75 children at the East Dallas Boys &
Girls Club for the first Let the Music Move You! health fair. Adibe helped organize
a second Let the Music Move You! health fair in April 2016 that hosted more than 100
children.
Adibe said her inspiration and motivation to work hard and serve others comes from
her parents, who immigrated to the United States more than 30 years ago.
“My parents are both educators: my father holds a doctorate and my mother holds a
master’s degree,” Adibe said. “So it is imperative for me to pursue higher education
and inspire others while doing it. I have continuous support from my family for all
of my endeavors.”
Adibe believes it’s important for pharmacy students to stay up-to-date with current
news, updates and changes within the pharmacy profession. She said being involved
in students organizations opens the doors to numerous professional experiences and
opportunities, like conferences and community service that aren’t typically offered
by the academic curriculum.
“I’ve met some awesome leaders and mentors through organizational involvement,” Adibe
explained. “The pharmacy world is small but the network is huge. It’s important to
have at least one mentor in the profession before finishing pharmacy school.”
Adibe will lean on her student organization experiences as she undertakes a two-year
pharmacy administration and leadership residency at Harris Health System and the University
of Houston. She said the program is extremely leadership-focused and will be an extension
of her involvement as a student.
“I’ve always sought new opportunities, and being in a leadership-administrative position—it’s
important to always stay open-minded,” Adibe stressed. “Things will not always go
as planned so you have to build tenacity. This can be acquired by holding leadership positions
and being forced to make big decisions within an organization. All pharmacists, at
some point in their career, will have to make at least one big decision that will
impact patient care. Exercising this responsibility through leadership will build
the confidence to make these decisions.”
One can only guess what Adibe will accomplish in her career after she completes her
residency, but there are certainties: she will continue to have faith in her abilities,
she will always be on the lookout for opportunities to learn and she won’t be afraid
of failure.
“No dream is too big and no vision is too far,” she said wholeheartedly and with faith.
Related Stories
A Rite of Passage for Next Generation of Physicians
Students in TTUHSC's School of Medicine Class of 2028 received their first white coat and pledged their commitment to the medical profession at the White Coat Ceremony Friday (July 26) at the Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences.
How Does Your Garden Grow?
As spring approaches, some people’s thoughts turn to gardening. Whether it’s a flower garden they desire or a vegetable garden want to have, they begin planning what they’ll plant and what they need to do to ensure a successful garden.
Adopt a Growth Mindset for a Better Life
A “growth mindset” accepts that our intelligence and talents can develop over time, and a person with that mindset understands that intelligence and talents can improve through effort and learning.
Recent Stories
Navigating Family Stress During the Holiday Season
Nicole Noble, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program, offered insights to help manage difficult family dynamics during this time of year.
Alumni Spotlight: Ryan Mize, DCLS, MHA
Ryan, Mize, DCLS, MHA, is a Medical Director for Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), an Associate Medical Director for Mass General Brigham System (MGB), and is Pathology faculty for Harvard Medical School (HMS).
From Oil Field to Health Care: Chineme Chima-Nlewem, PA-C
Chineme Chima-Nlewem, PA-C, works as a pain management provider at MCH ProCare Interventional Pain Medicine - a career born out of her own painful experience.