The College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions held their annual Student Awards Night to recognize those students who have contributed to the St. John’s Community as well as their own and have exhibited a great academic achievement within their years of study.

Eighteen awards were presented to 31 students at the ceremony held on Oct. 26.

Vibhuti Arya received three awards throughout the night. The Walgreens Scholarship Award and the Perrigo Award of Excellence were for academic excellence, a committed interest to the pharmaceutical field and strong leadership skills.

Arya also received the Marion and Michael Mangione Memorial Award, named for College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions Dean Robert Mangione’s parents.

Dean Mangione described the recipient of this award as, “the kind of student my parents would be proud of.”

Vibhuti is also the National President for American Pharmacist Association Academy of Student Pharmacists.

Students are not aware of what awards they will be receiving until their name is called. The only notification comes in the form of a letter informing them of their selection to receive an award for their accomplishments.

“I feel very honored,” one recipient said. “It’s very competitive and they only pick the best of the best, so it’s good to know that I am considered to be one of them.”

Arya agreed, sharing her classmate’s sentiment.

“We need this in order to recognize students for all their hard work and effort,” Arya said. “There are a lot of good people out there with potential and they should be acknowledged.”