A Slam Dunk with Pharmacy School

First-year student, Excellanxt Greer, combines lessons from the basketball court and undergrad to find success in the PharmD program

Story by Carrie Creasy | Published November 22, 2023

When Excellanxt Greer, PharmD candidate ’27, graduated UNC-Greensboro with a bachelor of arts in economics and a minor in chemistry, the only person surprised by this accomplishment was Excellenxt herself. Just four years prior, she had not realistically seen herself attending without building tremendous amounts of debt and having to work. The gate opened for her when she was awarded an athletic scholarship with an offer to play basketball for the UNCG Spartans.

Playing basketball at the collegiate level changed the gameplan of her life. Her professional dreams shifted from WNBA star to pharmacy entrepreneur, as the goal emerged to pursue pharmacy school upon graduation.  

“I had always wanted to go to Chapel Hill,” she says. “I found out I got into UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy while I was volunteering at an elementary school. We were having a break for lunch, I checked my email, and erupted.”

Throughout her undergraduate education, Excellanxt excelled on the court and in the classroom, while her extracurricular activities were not limited to volunteering at elementary schools. As her interest in pharmacy grew, she sought part-time work in the pharmacy department at Walgreens in 2021. Her parents suggested some experience in the field before paying money for tuition: “The first day walking into that pharmacy, I knew this was the career path for me.”

In her first few months at the School, it is clear that both economics and basketball translate nicely into her pharmacy curriculum. She sees a lot of economical and statistical structures being used in her evidence-based practice class this fall, as she learns to evaluate research pieces and analyze cost-effectiveness within pharmacy.

Basketball taught her to value discipline and communication, to handle adversity, and not to be afraid of hard work. She is a team player to the core and admits “I have missed basketball more than I thought.” Basketball is where she learned to adjust and adapt to surroundings in order to make a difference, and settling into pharmacy school has been a big adjustment. Pharmacy is how Excellanxt plans to make her biggest impact.

She sees that pharmacy is not an isolated profession, but one where a team of doctors, nurses, public health professionals, social workers, mental health experts, and others must collaborate for a singular cause. “The connection within most healthcare fields is pharmacy,” Excellanxt observes. “When people come from their various doctor’s appointments with a script to continue treatment and management of their disease states, they will have to see a pharmacist.” Drawn to that space, she says, “I came into pharmacy school with a mission. I am open-minded and want to take in all the information, learn about my opportunities, and ultimately, let the Lord guide me.”

Focused and willing to consider new ideas, she is already involved in the Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA). Excellanxt has found time to volunteer with Russell’s Pharmacy and Shoppe in Durham. She finds it to be “a beautiful independent pharmacy that focuses on serving the underserved,” an experience that uniquely parallels her professional ambitions. Some of Excellanxt’s family members in rural Mississippi live farther out from the major cities where sufficient healthcare and services are available. Her grandfather, who in the last few years received a quadruple bypass heart surgery, lives in an unincorporated community, and his need for more frequent monitoring is always in the back of her mind.

As she puts the pieces together of who she is, where she comes from, and what is important to her, she has taken an interest in rural healthcare: “I want to love what I do and be passionate about the work I do; I want to walk into work every day smiling.” She suspects entrepreneurial pharmacy will be a fulfilling career. 

Excellanxt’s goal for herself is to own an independent family pharmacy, and she looks forward to finding business classes and entrepreneurial electives during her program. She is grateful for the opportunity to be studying pharmacy in Chapel Hill and eager to apply those skills and knowledge in the real world. She feels that healthcare professionals have an obligation to ensure all people receive fair and adequate service. Excellanxt says “I can advocate, speak out, collect data, talk to my community, and treat people the way I want to be treated. I will be the change I want to see in the world.”