Eddie Mercado
The quality about Eddie Mercado that others find so special is his great sense of humor, with a touch of humility due to hard work.
Eddie started at Richland College in 1989. He began as a mediocre student and progressed into the early 1990's as his grades got stronger. After he left Richland, he worked his GPA up to a 3.23 and transferred to Texas A&M, where he hit the cold wall of reality, finding the courses tougher than he thought they would be. The original plan of pursuing a pre-med major began to change.
Eventually, he received his Bachelor of Science degree, which renewed his interest in health professions. He had been working at a grocery store as a pharmacy technician for years. He decided to get serious about becoming a pharmacist.
In 2000, he transferred to Texas Tech University to become a full-time student in order to get into their pharmacy school. He was accepted, went through with excellent grades including some honors, and graduated in summer of 2006 with a doctorate in pharmacy.
At Texas Tech, Eddie is well-known for his contributions in service learning. He volunteers by calling students as a recruiter for the pharmacy program, as well as serving on interview panels for prospective pharmacy students.
He speaks to classes at Richland about the reality of pharmacy school and mentors eager students.
At present, he is working at Children's hospital in the Emergency Room in a new program where pharmacists are placed in the E.R. along with doctors. New pharmacy graduates are almost never offered this position, however Eddie’s clinical rotations at Children's made them aware of his wonderful work ethic, and offered the position that few are chosen for.
Eddie is currently married and now has a son. His path to success started at Richland, where he now graciously gives back, engaging in the lives of current students.