As Libby Shelton (PharmD ’23) entered her second year of pharmacy school, she realized she was struggling to balance her academic coursework with her personal life.

“As a Black, first-generation college student, I didn’t have a lot of guidance for how to navigate pharmacy school,” Shelton says. “Other students knew a pharmacist or came from families full of pharmacists, I didn’t.”

When she couldn’t find the resource materials she needed to boost her study skills, she decided to develop them herself. Learn with Libby, founded in 2021 when Shelton was still in pharmacy school, began as a series of summary sheets detailing different disease states, classes of medication and treatments. Shelton shared her study guides online and began chronicling her time in pharmacy school on social media. That’s when she realized the power of sharing her journey and how her story could help others.

“As I began networking with students at other pharmacy schools, I discovered that while the various curricula taught clinical knowledge, there wasn’t as much focus on professional development skills such as networking and professional development that are necessary to be successful as a pharmacist,” Shelton says.

She recognized that without the guidance of mentors who believed in her potential, she might have missed key opportunities along her journey. That powerful realization ignited her passion to pay it forward — championing others through mentorship and equipping them with the tools and support they need to thrive. Over the past few years, Shelton has transformed Learn with Libby into a professional development program for pharmacy students who want to build essential skills that will serve them well in a traditional or nontraditional career path. She was named one of the 50 most influential leaders in pharmacy for 2023 by the Pharmacy Podcast Network.

Learn with Libby provides two membership tiers for its Ambition into Action community. All members receive access to live support, interactive workshops, a resource library and networking events. VIP members also receive a monthly 60-minute session with Shelton to develop a personalized action plan.

“I want participants to gain confidence in their ability to succeed, whatever that might look like for them,” Shelton says. “Everyone has a different definition of success, but I want them to feel as though they have the support they need to accomplish their goals.”

In January 2025, she organized a free Network with Confidence challenge for pharmacy students and recent graduates seeking to create lasting connections that might lead to future employment opportunities.

“Students are encouraged to network, but no one ever explains how to build that network,” Shelton says. “I wanted to share tools and strategies to build authentic connections and leverage them for career opportunities whether that be a mentor relationship, a new job or exploring other paths in pharmacy.”

Once again, Shelton’s personal experience influenced the programming she wanted to offer. In the beginning, she struggled with networking, doubted her value as a student and didn’t know how to connect with pharmacy professionals — and when she did make a connection, she didn’t know what steps to take to maintain it.

“Everything changed when I developed a strategy,” Shelton says. “Networking became less intimidating, and I started building a supportive network that opened doors to leadership roles, international opportunities, impactful community projects, collaborations — and ultimately my industry fellowship.”

In conjunction with the Rutgers University Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowship Program, Shelton landed a two-year position as a U.S. Oncology Business Division training and development fellow with Daiichi Sankyo U.S., which she completed in May 2025. She went on to become manager of U.S. oncology business division training and development and now serves as manager of oncology access and reimbursement training at the global pharmaceutical manufacturer’s U.S. headquarters in New Jersey while continuing to run Learn with Libby.

If it sounds like a lot, it is. But Shelton attributes her personal success, and the success of her company, to a Key 3 Framework that encourages the balance of academic and professional ambitions with personal growth.

“It’s important to prioritize your personal well-being above school and career development,” Shelton says. “You cannot pour from an empty cup. That realization was essential to my journey. Once I began to take care of myself, everything else fell into place. So I advocate for a mindset that is person first. Then, learner second because that’s how we grow and get better.

“Pharmacist comes third. Being a PharmD should not be your first identity. There’s so much more that we can do as people and we don’t have to fit into a certain box.”