For many, the path to a professional career is a straight line—graduate high school, attend college, and step into the workforce. But for some, like Ashley Aday, a veteran and second-year pharmacy student at Washington State University, the journey is anything but ordinary.
Growing up in Idaho, the idea of college seemed distant. “Both my parents didn’t go to college, so it wasn’t really an option for me,” Aday recalls. Feeling the pull to do something meaningful, she enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2009, not only to serve her country but also to explore a world far removed from the small town she knew. “I wanted to see what it was like in a war zone for myself rather than taking other peoples’ opinions about it,” Aday shares. And that’s exactly what she did.
Stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington, Aday spent the next few years in various parts of the U.S. and abroad. In 2012, at the age of 22, she was deployed to Afghanistan, where she was attached to an artillery unit, repairing weapons and keeping soldiers safe on the front lines. “I fixed everything from small weapons to the big M777 Howitzers. It was a tough job, but one that made me proud.” In the first week she was there, she was woken up by gunfire on Forward Operating Base (FOB) Frontenac near Kandahar in the middle of the night after four people had infiltrated the base. “I thought to myself at that moment, ‘What have I gotten myself into,’” Aday recalls.
Amid the challenges of deployment, a spark of inspiration began to grow. On convoys to remote forward operating bases, she encountered Afghan children. “Some kids were kind and curious, while others, so young, already had so much hate. It was heartbreaking,” Aday recounts. What left a lasting impression, though, was seeing fellow soldiers hand out gummy vitamins to the children, who eagerly accepted the “candy” without knowing its true benefit. “That’s when I realized I wanted to help people through medicine. I didn’t like the idea of dealing with blood, so I chose pharmacy.”
After leaving the military in 2013, Aday pursued a pharmacy technician license and worked in various settings, from a veterinary pharmacy in Oregon to a hospital in Hawaii. But the dream of becoming a pharmacist never left. “I wanted to have my pharmacy degree by 30,” she says. That goal led her to Washington State University, where she now attends the Yakima extension of the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
For Aday, the decision to go back to school as a veteran and a parent hasn’t been easy. With a ten-year-old daughter and a husband who still works in Hawaii, she has had to balance school, parenting, and the financial realities of higher education. “I had no school debt until pharmacy school, and that’s where scholarships have been a lifesaver,” Aday shares. “It’s hard, for sure, pinching pennies. My husband is helping, but the scholarships warm my heart. I never expected anyone to give me money, and it’s amazing that people are willing to help students like me.” Aday recently received a scholarship from Steven (’80) and Natalie-Stewart Smith (’80 MA) who also served in the military as commissioned officers in the United States Army during the 1970s. In 2022, the two established a scholarship in the college to help veterans like Aday who have served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines or Coast Guard.
After pharmacy school, Aday hopes to specialize in oncology, driven in part by personal experience. “My mom has stage 4 lymphoma. While it’s not aggressive enough to treat now, I want to be part of the future of cancer medicine. Working in the hospital, I learned about chemotherapy drugs, and that’s where I see myself making a difference.”
Reflecting on her time in pharmacy school, Aday feels grateful for the strong bonds formed within the small cohort at the Yakima campus. “The cohort is small, so we are a tight knit group. The professors are so accessible. That’s why I’m glad I went to Yakima; it’s a supportive community, and I know these friendships will last beyond school.”
As Veterans Day approaches, Aday reflects on the lessons learned from military service. “The military teaches you how short life is and how important it is to do what makes you happy…The military made me grow up, and it’s why I’m able to take school so seriously now.”
For alumni and donors, Aday has a heartfelt message: “When people donate, it makes me want to give back when I can. The support I’ve received has made all the difference. I grew up in a family that struggled, and I just want to be able to give my daughter and parents the stability they deserve. That’s why scholarships mean so much—they allow people like me to pursue our dreams.”
In the words of Aday, “Life is short. Do what makes you happy. And for me, that’s pharmacy.”
To learn more about scholarship endowments at the college, please contact Director of Development and Alumni Relations Kelly Sylvester (Kelly.Sylvester@wsu.edu) or click here to give now.