Student Helps Others by Living Her Future in the Present

By Katlyn Sansone

The idea of choosing what one wants to do with the rest of their life is daunting to most high school students, but not Mehlville High School senior Shelby Meyers.

Meyers is a dancer, member of National Honor Society and Student Council, Panther Kick-Off Mentor and Sunday school teacher at her church. But out of all the activities in which she participates, the one she most hopes to stick with is her part-time job.

Meyers has always wanted to go into medicine but her aversion toward all bodily functions kept her from pursuing a career as a doctor. However, her life’s ambition to help others, as illustrated by her long list of volunteer activities, led her to pharmacology. In 2008, her goal seemed that much closer when she began working at a local pharmacy, The Medicine Shoppe.

The biggest advantage of her job is the people and the experience she gains from them, she said. The Medicine Shoppe is a family-owned pharmacy and her bosses both graduated from the St. Louis College of Pharmacy, where she intends to study next fall.

“It gives me a sense of security because I am getting to know the ropes already, feedback about where I’m going next year and I’m establishing relationships with my coworkers and community,” Meyers said.

Interacting with people became the biggest part of learning the job, even though that isn’t the only thing she does. At work, Meyers is responsible for a multitude of tasks. From cashier, to calling-in, filling and processing prescriptions, to billing insurance companies, she does them all as a pharmacy technician. She believes everything has changed her for the better.

“Acquiring and maintaining my job at the pharmacy has disciplined me and has confirmed my aspirations to become a pharmacist after college," she said. "I think it has made me more responsible.”

While she admits it is not exactly what she expected going into the job as a sophomore, she has more of a technical knowledge of the field of pharmaceuticals. She was pleasantly surprised when it was so much more than what she thought. In the end, it all goes back to helping others, which she said is her real motivation behind everything she does, and work is no exception.

“It is a lot of learning. It isn’t just filling the drugs and give them away. We consult with patients, and help them,” she said.

Meyers was accepted into the early admission program at St. Louis College of Pharmacy this past fall, and plans to attend next fall.