About Vanessa Ardon

Hello, my name is Vanessa. I was born and raised in New Jersey and then moved to Florida where I attended high school and undergrad. Since I was a little girl I’ve always had a keen interest for science, and I knew I would one day pursue a career in health care. Working in a pharmacy as a college student opened my eyes to the degree of health care disparities present in my local community and the positive differences that pharmacists could make. It was then I realized that pharmacy would be a good fit for me.

Why Loma Linda University?

Living on the east coast all my life made me want to explore new places, so I decided to go out of state for graduate studies. Loma Linda University encourages its students to go forth and serve impoverished areas in other countries through medical missions. This definitely appealed to my sense of adventure. In addition, the university’s whole-person approach to health care was something in line with my own views on health, so choosing to come here was an easy decision.

How have you seen inclusion unit individuals on campus?

I have seen inclusion unite individuals on campus while serving as co-President for the Association of Latin American Students on campus. Although the club was designed to raise awareness of Latin culture and bring diversity to the school, its membership is not limited to those of Latin decent. Our membership ranged in cultures from Middle Eastern, to Asian, to African American. Together we were able to celebrate diversity, service the community, and enrich each other with friendship.