Kathleen Rish, a third-year pharmacy student at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy’s Jacksonville campus, is a 2024 recipient of the Kappa Epsilon Zada M. Cooper Scholarship. This recognition bestowed upon five students each year by Kappa Epsilon, a national pharmaceutical fraternity, awards students who maintain high academic standards while substantially contributing to the activities of their local Kappa Epsilon chapter and college.
Rish currently serves as president of Jacksonville’s Beta Alpha chapter of Kappa Epsilon, as well as chief student ambassador for the UF College of Pharmacy Jacksonville campus, journal club chair for the Student Society of Health System Pharmacy and a member of the American Pharmacist Association – Academy of Student Pharmacists, the Rho Chi Academic Honor Society and the Phi Lambda Sigma Leadership Society.
“Having been selected as one of the five recipients nationally of the Zada M. Cooper Scholarship is an immense honor, and I am filled with gratitude for this fraternity,” Rish said. “Joining Kappa Epsilon my first year on campus has undoubtedly changed the trajectory of my pharmacy school experience for the better. A fellow brother spoke to me and encouraged me to run for president-elect my first year, seeing in me potential I hadn’t yet been able to see. Ever since that moment, I have felt empowered to step out of my comfort zone and take risks, knowing that I have the support of my brothers and mentors with me each step of the way.”