Trever Calvert Accepted to Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy

Summertown resident Trever Calvert wants to be remembered for something other than the 4.0 grade point average (GPA) that he's maintained throughout college after graduating at the top of his class at Summertown High School in 2006. He wants to be remembered for something other than being band president and a member of his high school tennis team, an active member of Phi Theta Kappa at Columbia State Community College, or receiving All-Tennessee Academic Team honors. Since 10th grade, Calvert has wanted to help people via medicine, and has made it his personal goal to fulfill his dream of becoming a top-notch pharmacist.

That's why, when faced with a decision to either study Radiologic Technology or Pharmacy at Columbia State, he decided on the latter. "I chose Columbia State because I knew the quality of instruction was extremely high, and of course it was close to home," said Calvert, whose mother Jana is also a graduate of Columbia State. "I love the atmosphere and overall feeling at Columbia State. I believe students can get to know their instructors better than they can at a four-year institution."

Speaking of getting to know instructors, one in particular at Columbia State helped guide Calvert during his second semester at the school. "Dr. B.I. Naddy - who I had for General Chemistry I and II, and Organic Chemistry I and II - is an extremely engaging instructor who truly cares about his students. The classes are definitely challenging, but he makes you want to learn at a high level - even while taking classes for nearly five hours straight almost every day during the summer."

"Trever always impressed me as a student," said Dr. Naddy. "He's very serious, hard working, pleasant and easy to get along with. He received the Chemistry Award at Columbia State, and he scored in the 73rd percentile on the National Pharmacy College Aptitude Test. Many of the people he scored higher than already have four year degrees in engineering and other sciences. This high score tells us he has a mature mind."

Like many other Columbia State students, Calvert juggles a job and large class loads - even in the summer - to stay focused on his dream. "I've worked in the Student Information Center at the Columbia Campus, as well as at Kroger as a pharmacy technician for about the last year."

After nearly seven straight years of maintaining a 4.0 GPA, working to earn a little extra money, and spending his spare time volunteering for his local church (Chapel Grove Church of Christ) and Phi Theta Kappa at Columbia State, Calvert's hard work has definitely paid off. Just two weeks ago, he was accepted to Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy in Nashville.

"I was at work when the letter came in the mail, and my mom opened it," laughed Calvert. "She called me at work and left a message with a co-worker saying it was urgent that I call home immediately. Thinking someone had died or something, I called home, and was so relieved when she told me the news that I had been accepted. I had my interview just a week prior, so I'm happy they didn't make me wait too long to find out."

Calvert will enroll for classes at Lipscomb this fall, and plans to complete the program by spring 2013. "Lipscomb was my number one choice for pharmacy school. I was really impressed with their new Burton Health Sciences Center. They have the latest equipment and really impressive technology. On top of that, it's still close to home and the atmosphere is friendly and inviting."

So the young man from Summertown heads north to Nashville to add another impressive bullet point on his resume. "We're so proud of Trever, and we know he'll go on to do great things," added Dr. Naddy. "He's a great role model for students who want to achieve their dreams."