Ethan Knox

Binghamton student selected to attend three-day National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Total Store Expo

By Ethan Knox ’20 on SEPTEMBER 14, 2026 @BingUNews

Pharmacy, as a profession, often seems like a single career field. But many students, like Paige Hoover ’25, a third-year pharmacy practice student at the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SOPPS) at Binghamton University, find that a world of options becomes available.

“I didn’t even know all the possibilities that you can have with pharmacy,” she said. “My introductory rotations and courses were a great learning experience. I had two hospital experience rotations, and I loved those, too, even with my personal experience in retail pharmacy. I’ve always kept an open mind, trying to enjoy everything that I experience.”

Hoover has worked for several years in retail pharmacy at Wegmans as a technician and intern. Most recently, she was selected by Binghamton staff members to attend the three-day National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Total Store Expo(opens in a new window) in Boston. 

This was the inaugural year of the Emerging Leaders Academy, where students were invited to attend to learn more about the health and wellness industry. 

“We are so proud of Paige for her hard work and dedication to pharmacy,” said Dean Kanneboyina Nagaraju. “I also want to celebrate NACDS for starting Emerging Leaders Academy at the Total Store Expo (TSE) to train the next generation of students in these exceptional, industry-based opportunities.”

Although she’s still unsure of her path, this conference served as an excellent chance to network and explore a career trajectory in retail pharmacy, one of several choices for her future.

“At the expo, we got to sit with the deans at the tables, and a lot of them talked with us. It was so nice to make connections with pharmacy students from all over, and I met so many people,” Hoover said. “Through the next two days, it was a combination of sessions and the expo, talking about AI and our future, political advocacy for our profession, our opinions on retail pharmacy and the students’ mindset, job satisfaction, and so many more opportunities.” 

Hoover, who earned her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, grew up near Rochester, where she rode horses as a hobby. She continued that practice into college — one of the reasons she decided to attend Binghamton University was meeting local trainers who seemed like a good fit for her. On the academic side, she was interested in a STEAM-focused university, where she could focus on her passion for science.

She fit in well at Binghamton and took note of opportunities as an undergraduate, like the Pharmacy Early Assurance Program (PEAP). Her sister, who also worked as a pharmacy technician at Wegmans, recommended her for a job, and after earning some experience, she applied to pharmacy school through PEAP.

“I always knew I wanted to do something in healthcare, though the actual career changed a lot,” Hoover recalled. “It was physical therapy, anesthesiologist, pediatrician … But I really liked the science behind pharmacy, and with my background in biochemistry, it stuck out to me. I learned about the PEAP program, and I was like, ‘I’m in.’”

As she continues to grow as a student, Hoover said she tries her best to take every opportunity and make the most of it. 

She noted that, although her lifelong career is far from set in stone, the conference showed her how a retail pharmacist can often be the “first in line for helping people” — an impact that is important for Hoover, who said she’d “be genuinely happy to just be making a difference.”

Altogether, Hoover said that the conference inspired her to be an even more focused student, and to dream big.

“It was cool to see how much opportunity there is, and how much scope there is to it,” she said. “Until you see something personally, you don’t always realize. It was daunting at first — all these people have jobs and are managing pharmacies or teams, and I’m just a student — but they kept reminding me, ‘No, you’re the future of this career — come and get involved. We want you here to help bring the profession forward.’”