Embracing Pharmacy

Dacia Esquell’s Leadership Focuses on Outreach and Empowering Students in the Field

Exposed to pharmacy at a young age, Dacia Esquell initially sought to avoid following in her mother’s footsteps in the field. As she prepared to take the MCAT and pursue a career as a physician, something prompted her to change course.

“When COVID happened, I reevaluated my priorities and what I wanted out of my life,” Esquell said. “That was when I decided that pharmacy was the right path for me.”

After applying to several pharmacy schools, Esquell landed at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy (UHCOP), where she holds leadership roles in multiple organizations.

Esquell is involved in the Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA), the Student Society of Health-System Pharmacists (SSHP) and Phi Delta Chi Fraternity. Within these organizations, she serves as the SNPhA Chapter Achievement Partners (CAPS) Coordinator Co-Chair, the SSHP Residency Outreach Co-Chair and the Worthy of Master Arms for the Phi Delta Chi (PDC) Pharmacy Fraternity.

As a key leader in PDC, Esquell plays a vital role in the recruitment process and organizes events to introduce potential new members to the fraternity. Her efforts led to 31 new members, the largest incoming class since pre-COVID.

“It was the biggest class in a long time,” Esquell said. “It was really rewarding to see so many people come through and want to be a part of something.”

Through SSHP, Esquell organizes events such as residency awareness campaigns and dinners with pharmacists to provide students with networking opportunities and career insights.

“The students are always heavily impacted by talking to pharmacists,” Esquell said. “They get inspired to explore new paths, consider different positions, or become more motivated to pursue residency. It’s super rewarding to me that I can help students make that decision.”

As the CAPS Coordinator Co-Chair for the SNPhA, Esquell helps coordinate health fairs and outreach programs. Last semester, the organization collaborated with medical school groups to educate about the vital roles of pharmacists and learn how they approached diagnosing patients and managing prescriptions.

“It builds that interprofessional education for students the university promotes,” Esquell said.

The Texas Medical Center was a major draw for Esquell in choosing UHCOP, where she has built a strong foundation for both academic and professional growth.

“The professors here bring real-world experience, which is invaluable,” Esquell said.

She enjoys the practical approach of her classes, which she believes will have a direct impact on patient care.

“I finally feel like I’m learning material that will be directly applicable to patient care, which is really exciting,” Esquell said. “It makes everything we’ve learned feel much more relevant.”

Through the college, Esquell secured an internship at Houston Methodist Hospital through the Methodist Internship Longitudinal Experience (MILE) Program. There, she has gained valuable experience working in the central pharmacy and call center.

“It gives me better exposure to the questions nurses ask, which has definitely helped me in my classes,” Esquell said.

In the call center, Esquell is often the first point of contact for questions from nurses and pharmacists, prioritizing issues to allow pharmacists to focus on more complex cases.

In addition to her regular duties, Esquell is involved in research at the Houston Methodist Hospital. She has presented twice on operational discussion topics and recently presented her research on controlled substance diversion at the Texas Society of Health-System Pharmacists Annual Seminar, where she and her co-interns received an Honorable Mention for their poster.

Outside of her academic and extracurricular activities, Esquell was also in the midst of planning her wedding. While her husband and family provided support, the bulk of the planning fell on Esquell.

“I think my biggest obstacle was getting married,” Esquell said. “I know that doesn’t sound like a typical obstacle, but planning the wedding and keeping everything in balance was very difficult.”

Despite the challenges, Esquell excelled and maintained a 4.0 GPA, thanks to her strong management skills.

“It allowed me to learn more about myself and know that I can balance a million things and still be successful,” Esquell said.

- Lauren Nguyen