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For Angela Roberts, the path to becoming a pharmacist has been anything but typical, but service has always been at the heart of her journey. A military veteran, devoted mother and soon-to-be University of ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ graduate, Roberts desires to spend her life giving back.

A native of Los Angeles, Roberts and her husband followed his family to ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ after they both got out of the military. Her husband’s family is teeming with Ole Miss graduates, and Roberts decided to follow suit. In May, she will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences.

Like many who gravitate to health care, Roberts has a servant’s heart. In high school, she joined her school’s Marine Corps JROTC program and went on to become a U.S. Marine.

“I joined because I wanted to serve people, and I felt like the military was the best way to do that,” Roberts said.

After leaving active duty, she wanted to continue serving in a different way. Her grandmother had been diagnosed with ALS, a disease that has no cure but can be treated with medication to slow its progression.

“That was when I decided to go into pharmacy,” she said. “Seeing how medication can help people with their quality of life, I just knew I wanted to be part of that.

"My grandmother passed away earlier this year, which has pushed me to keep going in my education.”

Roberts also saw the versatility in pharmacy and opportunities to work in a wide variety of settings as major selling points. Her plan is to work with service members or veterans.

“I want to try and give back to service members for everything they do,” she said. “Being in the military is not easy, and the training really starts to wear your body down. I want to help them achieve the best quality of life.”

Roberts has worked for the Office of Veteran and Military Services on campus since 2021, helping students using military benefits with submitting their paperwork.

Research also intrigues Roberts. During the final year of her undergraduate career, Roberts has been able to get in the lab with Mo Maniruzzaman, chair and professor of pharmaceutics and drug delivery and research professor in the , and doctoral student Achref Cherif. 

“I was quite amazed when Angela first approached me and showed interest in one of our space medicine projects, factory-on-a-pill, which was funded by NASA,” Maniruzzaman said. “Creating 3D-printed pills that can be engineered to produce therapeutics of interest is quite the challenging task.

“Interest in this kind of ‘high risk, high reward’ idea coming from a first-year Pharm.D. student reminded me of the high caliber of our student pharmacists.”

Roberts is a member of the . She recently received the Distinguished Citation for Outstanding Contribution to the Research Mission of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery.

She plans to continue her education at Ole Miss in pursuit of her Doctor of Pharmacy degree.

Though she shares a passion for health care with her classmates, the differences between the academic lives of her fellow students and her own as an older, nontraditional student have at times been stark.

“I have a different set of responsibilities, like being a parent,” she said. “Sometimes I don’t get as much time to study, but I try to make it work.”

That is not to say that her 9-year-old daughter is a burden.

“She makes parenting easy,” Roberts said. “She is such a good kid that she makes it easier to balance school and parenting. 

"I try to spend time with her when I can, and I also use the time she is asleep to study or get assignments done.”

The support she receives from her family, including her husband, a UM police officer, is invaluable.

“Despite my husband’s long hours, he is always willing to help me with anything I need,” she said. “My family has always supported me, from being in the military to pharmacy school, and it makes me want to keep pushing to achieve my dreams.”

She also expresses gratitude for the culture fostered by faculty in the .

“I feel like I have really benefited from how tight-knit it is,” she said. “The professors really get to know you, and they want to see you succeed.”

Kristen Pate, associate dean for student affairs and professor of pharmacy practice, expects that Roberts will shine in her future career.

“It’s very clear how passionate and devoted to patient care Angela is,” Pate said. “She’s ready to use the knowledge and skills she’s learned to improve patient care. She’ll be an asset to the pharmacy community.”

Top: Veteran Angela Roberts graduates in May with a bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences. Her story is hallmarked by service and determination. Photo by Srijita Chattopadhyay/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services

See more photos from Angela Roberts' Journey to Commencement