Grace Pan, ’12, never expected to meet Elvis or to write for the Huffington Post on co-op.

During an internship for global relief group Orphans International Worldwide (OIWW), the pharmacy student spearheaded connections with drug companies to procure medical supplies for a children’s hospital in Haiti.

Eager to learn more about the nonprofit realm, she ventured beyond her major to marketing and fundraising, which is where Elvis comes in—dozens of Elvises, in fact. Pan collaborated on a Huffington Post article with OIWW’s CEO to promote the group’s annual fundraiser, which, among other festivities, featured lots of Elvis impersonators.

Hip-shaking aside, Pan came away from her experience with new abilities and a renewed vigor for public health.

“On co-op, I took my health-care background and used that to the group’s benefit. I also gained skills that I wouldn’t have learned in traditional pharmacy settings,” says Pan. “I can take that with me once I graduate.”

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