My name is Maria Dominguez & I am a 4th year student at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, a medical scribe for Criticare Clinics/Baptist Health South Florida, & a pharmacy intern for Walgreens. I am an inquisitive learner, collector of knowledge, & I am constantly striving to become my best self. As expected, these aspects of my personality have led me to some interesting roads in life. From traveling to Spain to visit family to a study abroad program in Japan, I am always seeking fun, new ways to learn just about anything. Family is also very important to me, so I have participated in clinical research in Alzheimer's disease, spinal cord injury, & even in the development of a pediatric protocol for sedation/analgesia weaning in the pediatric intensive care unit. However many roads I travel in life, pharmacy is one that interests me the most. Pharmacy came to me in a culmination of unique ways. I always knew I wanted to help children in & out of the health care setting, because I admire their resilience & courage to face adversity. I worked hard to finish my Bachelor's degree in Biology & Chemistry at Florida International University & a Master's degree in Biomedical Sciences at Barry University to try to become a pediatrician. In the middle of professional school applications, the COVID-19 pandemic happened, & I became the sole provider of my family. So I reached out to my network & was able to acquire another job as a pharmacy technician for Walgreens. Although the work was often difficult, I felt a sense of fulfillment both intellectually & morally. I had 6 years experience as a scribe, but the role of pharmacy was more involved in patient care & ensuring patient safety. It felt surreal being part of the front line for COVID-19 testing, treatment, & then vaccination. So I decided to pursue pharmacy, & specifically, I would like to explore becoming a pediatric clinical specialist.Currently, I am working hard to finish off my 4th year rotations in experiential learning strong. After graduation & licensing, I hope to be accepted into a PGY1 hospital pharmacy residency where I can learn first hand what it means to be a clinical pharmacy specialist in a hospital rounding with an interdisciplinary team. Following that, I also hope to pursue a PGY2 pediatric oncology residency to fulfill my dream of providing premiere patient care as a member of a healthcare team. After all the different roads I have taken in my life, with various twists & turns, I can't wait to see what the future holds for me.