IPG pharmacists share their stories, journeys and their dreams in contest essays

We're pleased to present the stories submitted in this year's Essay Contest for International Pharmacy Graduates.

8/19/2026

Pharmacists who come to work in Canada from other countries are an important segment of the pharmacy workforce. In fact, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, Internationally trained pharmacists accounted for 35% of licensed pharmacists in 2024.

We believe that international pharmacy graduates (IPG) working in Canada are a key element of the pharmacy profession, bringing fresh perspectives to this country's healthcare landscape. We also feel it's important to share their perspectives with the broader pharmacy audience to increase understanding and awareness. For this year's reader essay contest, we asked IPG pharmacists to share their stories and write about issues that were important to them. The quality of the entries and the value of the stories were so impressive that we decided to share them all.

Congratulations to contest winner Dolupo Okoboyejo and honourable mentions Atai Otokokon and Tendai Bbosa.

Enjoy!

Check out the contest entries!

What a day!

(Dolupo is the winner of our 2026 essay contest for International Pharmacy Graduates.) Good morning, Pictou County! It was August 29th.
I do solemnly pledge . . .

Atai Okokon was one of our honourable mention winners in the 2026 IPG essay contest. "It was a dry, cold, sunny harmattan day in Lagos. Clad in a pink jacket and a black skirt, I held the oath document in one hand, raised the other hand up and, with my classmates."
My journey back to self

Tendai is one of the honourable mention winners in our 2026 International Pharmacy Graduates essay contest. "I didn’t come to Canada to start over but that’s exactly what happened!I didn’t come to Canada to start over but that’s exactly what happened!"
From Lagos to licensed: One pharmacist's journey into the heart of Canadian healthcare

I became a pharmacist in Nigeria because I believed in the moment when everything changes. Not the dramatic, cinematic breakthrough one might expect, but the quiet, profound shift when a patient who arrives at the pharmacy in pain.
The rebirth

I gained admission into Pharmacy School 25 years ago in Nigeria at the age of 17. My decision to study pharmacy had nothing to do with a deep love for drugs or humanity or anything of the sort.
A pharmacist by accident—a purpose forged by experience

I often say that I became a pharmacist by accident, but when I reflect on my journey, it feels like every hardship and unexpected turn quietly guided me toward this profession.
My journey to Canada began with love

Whenever my parents asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer was always the same: a pharmacist.
Why independent pharmacy became my calling

My education in Uganda had prepared us for pharmacy in a much broader sense.
Uganda to a pharmacy owner in Canada

As a child, I walked from Kamwokya to Kitante Hill School every day. Those walks taught me endurance and to keep going even when the road was long and no one was cheering me on.
From hope to leadership: My journey as a Canadian pharmacist

Back in India, I was driven by the desire to possess the clinical expertise necessary to serve a community at its most vulnerable points. I didn’t just want a job; I wanted to be a cornerstone of patient care.
Starting over, but not from zero

When I was about five years old, my parents opened their first community pharmacy. Because our home was right above the pharmacy, I grew up surrounded by prescriptions, medications, and patient conversations.