From Chemistry to Community: How a Young Alumna is Redefining Pharmacy Mentorship

Claire Reyes:

Welcome to Living the Pharm Life, the podcast where we talk to the thinkers, doers, and trailblazers who are shaping the future of pharmacy and healthcare. I’m your guest host Claire Reyes, a fourth year professional student in the College of Pharmacy. Libby Shelton’s journey from a first generation pharmacy student to a nationally recognized leader is a story of resilience, innovation, and purpose. Faced with the reality of adjusting to campus life, Libby chose a path of giving back. She created Learn with Libby to help students not just survive, but thrive academically, professionally and personally. From online guides to workshops, mentorship, and one-on-one coaching, she’s helping redefine what success can look like in healthcare, proving that being a pharmacist is only part of the story. Libby, thank you so much for being here today.

Libby Shelton:

I’m happy to be here. I needed an excuse to come back to campus.

Claire Reyes:

Do you miss it?

Libby Shelton:

I do. I do. I was going down memory lane as I was driving across and my way around Indiana.

Claire Reyes:

Oh, well, that’s wonderful. I’m glad you’re back. So I want to start at the beginning. Where did your passion for pharmacy come from?

Libby Shelton:

Yeah, so thinking back to that time, it really started in high school. I had a love for chemistry and I had a wonderful AP chemistry teacher, and I told her as I was thinking about future career opportunities, I told her, I was like, “I’m thinking about chemical engineering. It’ll be a good way to still combine my love for chemistry.” She was like, “I think you should consider pharmacy.”

And I’d never thought about that. So as I was doing different visits and tours for different schools, I was looking for pharmacy programs, and I fell in love when I came to Purdue, and so I was able to attend their admitted students day, and we did a pharmacy type workshop, and so I did that, but I also did the chemical engineering one and comparing between the two, I discovered that pharmacy seemed like a better fit for me and kind of what I wanted out of career, just to serve others in that regard and still use a little bit of chemistry.

Claire Reyes:

Yeah, I love that. That’s honestly fairly similar to the beginning route of like, “Ooh, what do I want to do with my life?” So yeah, I definitely relate to that. So when it was time to select a college, how did you know Purdue was the place? Did you have a moment that just clicked for you?

Libby Shelton:

Yeah, so I was looking obviously for schools that had a pharmacy program and that were close to home. So I’m from the Chicago suburbs, so Purdue was just far enough away, but not too close to home. So that was perfect. It checked that box. It had the PharmD program, which a lot of other schools offered something similar, but maybe not exactly a PharmD program, and so it checked those boxes.

But when I went on my tour of the school, it was probably maybe the third one that we had gone on with my mom, and we were walking through the union actually, and she stopped and she leaned in my ear and she whispered, and she’s like, “You’re going here.” So that kind of made the choice for me. But no, I was really happy just as the tour guides were talking and I got to meet more of the faculty and the College of Pharmacy and just hearing their stories and how much they supported students and wanted them to succeed, and just the community and the pharmacy family that we always talk about, I was like, “I think this is it.”

Claire Reyes:

Yes. That’s wonderful. I am glad your mom already knew that you were going here.

Libby Shelton:

Yeah, yeah. She made a good choice though.

Claire Reyes:

Exactly. She was just like, “I don’t care what you say, you’re going here.” So you were a first-generation college student, and that’s a major milestone on its own. Can you take us back to those early semesters at Purdue? What was the adjustment like for you, especially balancing academics and life outside the classroom?

Libby Shelton:

Yeah, I think that coming in as a first-generation student, I couldn’t rely on my parents to give me advice. They’d never experience college life. And so I did have my brothers though, and so I asked them all sorts of questions, being nervous about what the future may hold, as I’m sure a lot of people can relate to. And so I was also very introverted and very shy too. So going into a big 10 university with lots of people and not knowing anyone who came from my high school was pretty intimidating. But I think the best thing that I did was I lived in the honors dorms, and so using that as a way to meet people help me get out of my shell.

And then, so one of the things that I knew I had to do obviously in college was academics. That’s your focus. That’s why you’re here. So that was my main focus, but meeting other people who were involved in lots of student orgs and stuff helped bring me out and get me more involved. I didn’t exactly realize that student orgs would be a big part of my development throughout my time at Purdue, I just thought, you go to college, you do school, and that’s what you’re supposed to do. And so I think that was a big adjustment for me, recognizing that I wasn’t just in student orgs in high school just to get into college. There was a bigger picture here in the overall professional development that it would provide.

Claire Reyes:

What student orgs were you in?

Libby Shelton:

Yeah, so I participated in the Industry Pharmacist Organization, which kind of foreshadows my future a little bit. I was also involved in the Pre-pharmacy Association, and so also any admitted students and participating in that and getting to share all the wonderful things about the College of Pharmacy with something that was really exciting for me too as an ambassador of the college. I’m running through the list, all the things I know. I’m just, like, going down.

Claire Reyes:

Trying to remember back a few years too.

Libby Shelton:

I’d say those were probably the big ones. And then I was heavily involved with the Academic Success Center on campus.

Claire Reyes:

Oh, wonderful.

Libby Shelton:

So, kind of got my passion for teaching from there. Yeah.

Claire Reyes:

Wow. Okay. You kept yourself busy then.

Libby Shelton:

I sure did, after I learned it was a good thing to do.

Claire Reyes:

Yes, I agree. So very similarly to how you started off with, “Oh, I really like chemistry,” and everything. I had a very similar story where I fell in love with chemistry, biology, and this was actually happened in middle school. So since I knew that I liked science mostly. I was like, “Okay, what careers could I go into?” I was thinking medical field. Originally I wanted to be a veterinarian, went very far left from that. As much as I love animals, I just couldn’t bear the thought of having to do of the gross things involved with it. So I was like, “Okay, what’s something that’s not as gross?” I’m like, “Okay, I could see myself being a pharmacist.” And so what kind of solidified the idea for me of being a pharmacist was actually this Japanese graphic novel, and it was about an apothecary in a faraway kingdom, and I just loved her character so much.

She was able to help people with her knowledge, and I was like, “Oh my gosh, I want to do that.” And so by seventh grade, I was like, “Okay, I’m being a pharmacist. There’s no other option.” And so all throughout high school, I really just focused on the classes that would help me get into Purdue specifically. I don’t know what it was. I just kept myself on track with Purdue’s program, and I only applied to three colleges, two in Indiana and one in Kentucky. And Purdue was my number one choice. And when I got in, it was very, very exciting, but it was also a bit of a challenge with COVID.

Libby Shelton:

Yes, I know.

Claire Reyes:

So have to throw that one back out there. It’s five years ago now, but my senior year, coming into my freshman year of college, it was just COVID. So a little heartbreaking to think about. I want to say that your freshman year of college is a very pivotal moment in your lifetime, and I eventually did find my home and my place here, but it did take a little bit longer than I would’ve wanted.

But the College of Pharmacy was very supportive and everything. They did have a lot of student organizations that I could join and that helped break me out of my shell. You had a similar thing. I was not involved in the Industry Pharmacy Organization, but one of my good friends is, so I learned a lot about that. And also just I was in Phi Delta Phi… Well, I guess I still am. I did Pre-pharmacy Club for a little bit, and then I joined the Student Diversity Council later once it got kind of up and running again. There’s honestly too many things to list right now.

Libby Shelton:

I can relate.

Claire Reyes:

But yeah, just finding my place through the organizations and pharmacy, we were kind of forced to be close together, but at the same time separated with pandemic restrictions. And also Purdue had BGR. Did you do BGR when you came here?

Libby Shelton:

I did. I did.

Claire Reyes:

Yeah.

Libby Shelton:

How was that? When the COVID transition?

Claire Reyes:

It was interesting. We sat outside a lot.

Libby Shelton:

I’m sure.

Claire Reyes:

We sat outside, wore our masks. We couldn’t sit in the dining courts altogether, so we just had to get our food to go. So that was very, very interesting. Much has changed since then. There was a certain number of people that were allowed in different rooms, so depending on how big or small the room was, you could have maybe four to 15 people. It was not ideal for a BGR group to hang out.

Libby Shelton:

You couldn’t be in close proximity with each other and sort of bond in that way. But I’m sure you still met people.

Claire Reyes:

Yes, I did. Some of my best friends to this day are from BGR, but we managed. We played card games and such in the lobby. We made do.

Libby Shelton:

Resilience.

Claire Reyes:

Right. So now, thinking about your growth during that time, how did Purdue and the College of Pharmacy help you build on your strengths and identify areas for growth and help you keep moving forward?

Libby Shelton:

Yeah, I think one of my strengths, even though I am an introvert, is just connecting with people. That’s my favorite thing to do, building community. And so as also a first generation student, I wouldn’t be where I am today without the mentorship of others and people pouring into me and supporting me. And so Purdue helped me identify that that was one of the passions of mine. And so through being a peer mentor, once I got into the PharmD program, I was able to continue to cultivate my mentorship style and also ultimately kind of led to Learn with Libby and what I do now and the work that I do in my day job too. It’s all about mentorship and supporting other people.

Claire Reyes:

That makes a lot of sense. So I’m glad you had the opportunity to be part of the peer mentorship program.

Libby Shelton:

And I think also in terms of building my skills and identifying areas of growth, being part of IPHO, I was talking to all sorts of industry pharmacists. They talked about how communication is a key thing in industry. You’re working with all sorts of different people with different backgrounds, and so being able to flex to everyone’s style is a big part of that. And as someone who is an introvert and was terrified of public speaking, I knew that that was an area that I wanted to grow in, especially hearing multiple speakers for our IPHO events talk about that. And so I ended up taking my job at the Academic Success Center to grow in that area. So I became a supplemental instruction leader leading those study sessions three times a week to force myself into the uncomfortable and get comfortable with it.

Claire Reyes:

That’s a really smart way of doing it, just kind of making yourself do it. You can’t just bypass the hurdle. You just have to go ahead straight for it.

Libby Shelton:

Yeah, go through it. You can’t go around it, can’t go over it.

Claire Reyes:

Nope. You got to go through it.

Libby Shelton:

Barrel through.

Claire Reyes:

So it’s remarkable that you didn’t just push through the challenges. You created something entirely new to help others, and that’s how Learn with Libby was born, correct?

Libby Shelton:

Yeah, that is correct.

Claire Reyes:

So can you share how that all came together?

Libby Shelton:

Yeah. So as a pharmacy student, I was learning so much clinical information, as I’m sure you are, especially on rotations now. And I wanted to do something with it that would also serve others. So obviously not ready for clinical practice yet, but I wanted to do something that could support other people with all the things that I was learning. And so, one of the ways I thought about doing that and also gaining some more leadership and being able to own something myself was creating different study guides and then just sharing them on the internet to support obviously my peers and maybe other pharmacy students elsewhere. And so that’s really how Learn with Libby started just as a way to support others and kind of do something with all this knowledge that I was getting from the College of Pharmacy. So yeah, over time it’s transitioned a little bit and evolved, but that’s really how it started.

Claire Reyes:

Wow. Look at you being an entrepreneur.

Libby Shelton:

It was just for funsies at that time. No business intent, but that was part of the evolution.

Claire Reyes:

That’s true, but it came from good intentions and it’s just grown since then. So now Learn with Libby is more than a platform and it’s a whole community for personal, academic and professional growth. So what’s that evolution been like?

Libby Shelton:

Yeah, so as I was sharing and creating these study guides, I really wanted to make them really aesthetic and pretty, that’s kind of in my nature, but one of the things I learned is it’s very time-consuming to do that.

Claire Reyes:

Yes, it is.

Libby Shelton:

And so balancing classes and orgs and all the things, it became a little bit overwhelming to do. And so I kind of transitioned my Learn with Libby page from being about posting these resources to more just sharing my journey as a pharmacy student. And through that experience of sharing what I was going through, I was able to connect with other pharmacy students, of course, at Purdue, but also beyond in different states across the country and even globally. And so that was a really awesome experience. And so I was hearing what they were going through, some of the challenges that they were having, some of the things that they learned and how they were being successful as a student.

And it made me realize that there was a need for more guidance and visibility of the pharmacy profession and what we do, what our schooling looks like. So that’s kind of how the evolution started, in just hearing other people’s stories, recognizing that, “Oh, they want more support or guidance in this area. I know a little bit about it, I’m not an expert, but I can share what I know.” And so that’s how we sort of got to where we are today where I host all sorts of workshops and things, just provide that guidance to students and recent grads that are looking for it.

Claire Reyes:

Yeah. Well, I’m glad you’re talking about visibility of pharmacy. I do know a lot of patients really don’t know what we do, so I’m glad that you have that platform for everyone to see. And even more than just a resource for students, alumni, anyone, honestly, anyone in the pharmacy profession. So what are your main goals with Learn with Libby? How do you foresee that changing as time goes on?

Libby Shelton:

I think my main goal is just to grow community. I’m all about support and supporting one another. I don’t have all the answers, so I also pull in all my friends and things that have better answers than I do. So just building the community is something that I’m looking forward to doing. And I think as time progresses, who’s involved in the community may change as I get more experience. Right now, I’ve focused primarily on supporting students and recent grads because I’ve been in their shoes. So I can speak to those experiences, but I think as I grow, the people that I support may look a little bit different as I get more experienced and seasoned along the way. So something that I’m looking forward to doing right now, focusing on my support of students and recent grads is partnering more with colleges of pharmacy and different brands and things that I can bring to students to support them on their journey. So that’s something that I’m excited about and passionate about.

Claire Reyes:

Well, you’ve got a really strong foundation so far, so I am very excited to see how much you expand and grow. And maybe I’ll hear about it in other colleges of pharmacy one day.

Libby Shelton:

Just might.

Claire Reyes:

And then I can say, “I interviewed her.” So when this was just a spark of an idea, study guides and social posts, did you ever picture it growing into what it is today?

Libby Shelton:

Not at all. Absolutely not. I was just doing it to also review some content and stuff and help myself study, and I never thought there would be an entrepreneurial backbone to it in the future. It was just for fun and to support others. And so I think that’s still the main goal. My purpose is always to empower others to thrive any way that I can. And so that’s always the focus, but now being able to pursue entrepreneurship and learn what that’s like.

Claire Reyes:

You’ve got it. You’ve got it. I believe in you.

Libby Shelton:

Yeah, so it’s easy to take myself back to where you are, Claire. It wasn’t too long ago, but what do you think your future plans look like?

Claire Reyes:

Oh, I’ve actually been asked this question multiple times in the past two weeks, and my answer every time is, “I don’t know,” which I have found out that is okay that I don’t know at this stage. A lot of people don’t know at this point in their life, but I have some interests here and there and a little bit of everywhere. So I’m keeping myself open. Industry is an example. Maybe I’ll go into industry, I don’t know, maybe I’ll go into the hospital, maybe I’ll go into community. I don’t know. I just know that I am still learning about myself and what I enjoy with pharmacy, if I like patients, if I don’t like patients, if I like working specifically with doctors or anything like that. But yeah, it’s up in the air. The future is unknown, and that’s okay.

Libby Shelton:

I think that’s the beauty of pharmacy though, is you could do anything.

Claire Reyes:

Yeah. I feel like I could do anything, but that is also one of the main reasons why I chose pharmacy as my profession, because I knew that if I didn’t know right then and there, I’d be able to find what I wanted to do. And that’s something I’m very passionate about, is making sure that I’m doing something that I enjoy and not just doing it just to do it, or that’s what someone else has been telling me to do. So I can see the passion you have for helping others succeed. How does this relate back to your passion for pharmacy?

Libby Shelton:

Yeah, well, I think back to the oath of a pharmacist, it’s about serving others in what we do. And I feel like that’s my mission in everything that I do, from the teaching that I do, my current job, Learn with Libby, it’s all about serving other people and giving them the resources that they need to thrive. So I think that’s where it relates back to pharmacy in a nontraditional sense. Because in a traditional sense, I’d be serving patients, making sure that healthcare was optimal and they were getting the right outcomes. But on this side, I get to do something a little bit different, but still making sure that people are reaching their goals, whether it’s health-related or not.

Claire Reyes:

So kind of a same answer, different equation. But yeah, I can definitely see that. I recently did an episode about the oath of the pharmacist… Well, I guess it wasn’t recent, but we did an episode about the oath of the pharmacist and it’s always about people first and how we can continue to grow as pharmacists and give the best to the people around us.

Libby Shelton:

Absolutely.

Claire Reyes:

So I’m definitely in agreement with you. So let’s talk to the students listening, especially those in high school or early college who were still figuring things out, kind of like me. I’m not in early college though. So what advice would you give them as they try to find their own lane?

Libby Shelton:

Try everything. Just approach everything with curiosity and know that you’re going to fail at some point, but failure is your first attempt in learning. So that just means that you’re going to learn something from that experience. You’re going to learn what you like, what you don’t like, what you never want to do again. And I think that’s one of the things that’s kind of guided me as someone… A lot of us as pharmacists don’t really like to take risks because we are thinking about patients. And so you follow your guidelines, you do what you’re supposed to do to avoid risk, but you do a calculated risk, right?

Claire Reyes:

Yeah.

Libby Shelton:

So that’s what it is when you’re trying these different things, exploring. It doesn’t hurt to have a conversation with someone in a different field of pharmacy just to learn about what they do, and it might spark some interest, spark curiosity for you. And I also think you don’t have to fit into one box either. So one of the things that I experienced and I kind of learned about myself through my time at Purdue was just that I loved business, I loved psychology, and I loved pharmacy, and I didn’t know if I would ever find a way to intertwine it all, but I think I found it, and that might change and shift over time. But yeah, I did my business management minor at Purdue when I got elective hours. And so that was one of the ways I pursued that. I have a publication with a psychology research lab instead of something pharmacy related. So Purdue really helped me just discover these pieces of my life that I enjoy and now get to bring into my everyday life professionally and personally.

Claire Reyes:

Wow. It’s like you read my entire timeline of being at Purdue and all the things that I’ve learned. I agree 100% with failure being your first step at learning. I have failed numerous times, and every single time that I make a mistake, I’m always just reminding myself. It’s just an opportunity to learn. This is how you learn best. You got to make the mistake for it to happen. So I love that personally. So we’ve talked a lot about Learn with Libby, and you stayed active in pharmacy too though. So can you walk us through your pharmacy journey since graduating from Purdue in 2023?

Libby Shelton:

Yeah. Once I graduated Purdue, I unfortunately had to leave the Midwest, but it was again one of those opportunities to try something new. I moved over to the East Coast and I now live in New Jersey, and so I completed a fellowship with Rutgers University [inaudible 00:22:57]. And so at Rutgers University I participated in teaching, I got to precept students, run a professional development course, all sorts of fun things there in addition to my oncology role in training and development. So I was focused on training sales reps, market access professionals in addition to our medical affairs teams within industry. So I’ve done a whole lot in that time, but it’s been really exciting just to teach others, obviously in an academic setting with Rutgers, but then also in a corporate setting as well. So I think the thread there is definitely love teaching and education for sure.

Claire Reyes:

I think so. I can agree with that. But it’s really cool that you’ve been able to find a way to just mix all your passions into one, and that’s just how the world works sometimes. Sometimes it’s just destiny, right?

Libby Shelton:

Yep. Yeah. Thinking back on my journey, the things just lined up the way that they were supposed to. And so I always remind my mentees that everything happens the way it’s supposed to. And when you look back on your journey, you’d be like, “Ah, that’s why that happened that way.”

Claire Reyes:

At the time, it doesn’t feel very good, but then not, but then you’re just like, “Oh, maybe I did need that.” So I think we’ve all learned a lot of things. So did industry always interest you and how did you find this area pharmacy was right for you?

Libby Shelton:

Yeah, I think I was open. I’ve already mentioned, just curious what was out there. My initial pharmacy experience was working as a tech in volunteer, a free clinic. I volunteered there. I was a pharmacy tech, and I just wanted to help patients in need, and that was something that was really important to me. And I wanted to serve patients, but I realized that working in a community setting or a hospital setting, I could only really serve the patients within that institution. And so I wanted to find a way to have a bigger impact. I’m all about impact.

And so as I was learning about industry, I was like, “Oh, the work that I would do in industry would impact patients in a region,” so the U.S. or even globally and all around the world. And so that was one of the things that kind of drew me into industry. And I think as I pursued the business management minor and explored those different electives, that it was a good way to combine my skill set. Bringing that pharmacist clinician perspective to the business side of things is something that I love doing because as pharmacists, we’re very patient centric, and sometimes when we work with our business colleagues, they’re not so patient centric. So offering a different perspective so that we can continue to serve the people who need it most.

Claire Reyes:

I don’t know that much about industry. And so hearing you talk about more of the different facets, it’s very interesting. You get to learn a lot.

Libby Shelton:

Yeah, I can always share more if you want. Yeah.

Claire Reyes:

Hey, you’re being a mentor right now.

Libby Shelton:

It’s habit. Can’t get rid of it.

Claire Reyes:

Okay, so fun fact time. I heard that back when you were a student here, you actually pitched the idea of having a college level podcast. Is that true?

Libby Shelton:

It is, but it wasn’t just me alone. We had a whole committee and it was things that we had talked about. So it’s amazing to see it in action now and get to be part of it. I was in my final year, and so I didn’t have the opportunity to really build it, but it was something we talked about and what it would look like. I had done research and met with different pharmacy podcasters that I know through the Learn with Libby platform, and I got to learn, “Okay, what are you guys using? How do we do this? What does this all look like on the back end?” And so yeah, really just happy to see it come to life.

Claire Reyes:

Oh, well I’m very glad to hear that. So when did you find out about Living the Pharm Life whenever it launched?

Libby Shelton:

I stay pretty active with the Purdue pages, so I believe I saw the first episode. And so it was just really exciting and I was like, “Wow, so professional.” I think that was my first reaction.

Claire Reyes:

And look, here you are. Full circle. You’re here as the guest. Maybe you’ll be the interviewer one day. Who knows?

Libby Shelton:

Yes.

Claire Reyes:

Any favorite episodes so far? Don’t know if you’ve watched many of them.

Libby Shelton:

Yeah, one of my favorite episodes is with Dr. John Allen. Some of my mentees had worked with him at his previous institutions, and so they said wonderful things about him. So I think it was a great way to hear about his story and how he ended up at Purdue and his passion for really the next generation, which is something that I also share. I’m always talking about the next generation to farm these, and I want to empower them with the skills and tools that they need. So I really like that episode.

Claire Reyes:

Okay, I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll have to go back and listen to it.

Libby Shelton:

It’s a good one.

Claire Reyes:

I do know Dr. John Allen, he’s one of my current bosses.

Libby Shelton:

Lovely.

Claire Reyes:

Yes, exactly. So as tradition on Living the Pharm Life, we close each episode with a fun question. So are you more of an early bird or a night owl?

Libby Shelton:

I am a wannabe early bird. It goes against everything that my body tells me, so I’m definitely a night owl. I do my best work in the dark, in the late evening. Yeah, I would say I’m definitely a night owl for sure.

Claire Reyes:

I think I’m very similar to you. I’m definitely a night owl, but a wannabe early bird.

Libby Shelton:

I try really hard to get up at 5:00 AM and have that be my dark hours to work, but not so successful most days.

Claire Reyes:

That’s okay. That’s okay. It’s just not in our nature.

Libby Shelton:

Stop fighting my nature.

Claire Reyes:

I’ve been getting up recently, very early at 5:00 AM for my current rotation, and it’s nice. I like the quietness of the morning and the drive where there’s minimal traffic.

Libby Shelton:

That part’s really nice.

Claire Reyes:

But at the same time I wake up and I said, “Why am I awake?”

Libby Shelton:

Yes, yes. It’s tough. It’s tough when you’re fighting against biology.

Claire Reyes:

Yes, exactly. Well, Libby, thank you so much for being here today and sharing your insights, your energy, and your journey with us. You’ve inspired so many and it’s been a joy to hear more about your path.

Libby Shelton:

Well, thank you for having me. I’m just excited to be here back on campus and to get to learn more about your journey as well.