Drake Celebrates Life-Changing Scholarships

At age 4, Husein Mehmedovic fled the Bosnian genocide with his family and moved to West Des Moines. As he grew older, Mehmedovic learned about and eventually decided to attend Drake University.

He reflected on this journey during the 10th annual Scholarship Luncheon, which was held in November. The event recognizes the powerful impact of scholarship support and connects students and donors for conversation and community.

Mehmedovic, a second-year pharmacy student, is the recipient of the Verdun Pharmacy Leadership Scholarship. The scholarship was created by Drake alumni and longtime volunteers Patrick, PH'84, and Annette, FA'85, Verdun. It provides valuable financial support for pharmacy students who are from rural communities or have diverse backgrounds.

While speaking at the luncheon, Mehmedovic said the scholarships he received at Drake were particularly meaningful given his family's path to Iowa and his goals for his education. He hopes to pair his pharmacy degree with a Ph.D. to pursue a career in research—a plan that was inspired by a research project he completed as an undergraduate student at Drake.

"This scholarship has been very valuable to me knowing that my family and I came here to the United States without anything," he says. "While things can come and go, the education one gains cannot be stolen from you."

If you would like to establish a scholarship that can support future Drake students, or are interested in supporting them in other ways, please reach out. You can contact John Amato at john.amato@drake.edu or 515-271-2849 to begin the conversation.