How two Waterloo Pharmacy students built careers and a life together through experiential learning
Mackenzie Gowlett (Rx2025) and Matthew Miller (Rx2025) met virtually during the first month of classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their friendship quickly turned into a partnership that lasted throughout their time at the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy. Now as they prepare to graduate, they reflect on how far they’ve come – both personally and professionally.
For Miller, the thought of living and learning in a very big city was not appealing.
“I’m from a small town on Vancouver Island where I had class with around 20 other students,” Miller says. “Coming to Waterloo felt like home – bigger than I’m used to but at the same time a smaller city with more amenities.”
Gowlett chose Waterloo for its Conditional Admission to Pharmacy (CAP) program which offers a streamlined pathway to pharmacy school from high school.
Throughout their time in the program, they loved exploring Kitchener-Waterloo and the surrounding cities. The couple even had their first date at Activate in Cambridge.
Gowlett and Miller both came into pharmacy school as different people than who they are now. It was between second and third year that they both felt a shift within themselves, seeing that they had become the professional pharmacist they originally set out to be. Their co-op placements took them to Sault Ste Marie in Northern Ontario to Port Alberni in British Columbia. These experiences helped them build confidence and their pharmacy passions.
For their first co-op work term the couple travelled to Sault Ste Marie in Northern Ontario, and stayed with Gowlett’s parents on St. Joseph Island.
Gowlett worked at IDA Drug Mart, a community pharmacy in Wellington Square, where she applied her skills to counsel patients, assess for minor ailments and administer flu and COVID shots.
“I felt so supported there,” she says. “They appreciated having student pharmacists and I formed friendships that will last a lifetime.”
Miller worked at Manuel’s Medicine Shoppe pharmacy where he was introduced to opioid agonist therapy and helped dispense methadone, an experience that sparked his interest in addiction and mental health care.
“Manuel’s was incredibly kind and encouraging. It was the perfect first co-op work term. I also got to meet Mackenzie’s dad, a former MMA fighter!”
Crack trail, Killarney Provincial Park
Awausee Trail, Lake Superior Provincial Park
Towab Trail, Lake Superior Provincial Park
Snowshoeing
Their second co-op took them on a cross-country road trip to Port Alberni in British Columbia, where they stayed with Miller’s parents and worked at the Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacy together. The pharmacy serves Cherry Creek, Beaver Creek, Sproat Lake and rural areas outside of the town. The pharmacy also absorbed an influx of new patients due to another pharmacy closure in Port Alberni.
“We administered vaccines for over 3,000 patients; that’s more than 6,000 injections!” Miller says. “The prescription count was above 1,000. The pharmacy doesn’t have a scanner and everything was done manually.”
Somewhere during their second co-op work term they discovered a new love for the outdoors together. The couple spent time camping and hiking around Lake Superior and Vancouver Island.
Their third co-op brought them back to Sault Ste Marie where Gowlett worked in the inpatient pharmacy, conducting medication reviews and clinical assessments. While Miller joined the iCcare Pharmacy, a dedicated outpatient pharmacy in the Hospital, alongside his preceptor, Waterloo Pharmacy alum, Sarah Zorzit (Rx2014). He helped support rehabilitation patients and oncology treatments.
After their final semester of classes, the couple returned to Sault Ste Marie for their Patient Care Rotations, the last requirement of the PharmD program. Rotations solidified their knowledge and skills and gave them the confidence to practice independently.
Miller completed his rotations in retail oncology, with Zorzit as his preceptor again, in palliative care and in the intensive care unit with Alison Hemy (Rx2012), another Waterloo Pharmacy alum as his preceptor.
“I definitely have an interest in oncology now, after being able to experience hospital pharmacy during co-op and rotations,” Miller says. “It was amazing to work with Waterloo alumni and see the impact pharmacists can have in hospital settings.”
During her rotations, Gowlett returned to the community pharmacy where had she worked during high school.
“I remember asking the pharmacist if it was hard to onboard a pharmacy student,” she says. “He said to me, no they’re fourth year students, they’re basically pharmacists. It was a full circle moment for me; I was now that student.”
She also gained a deeper understanding of patient counselling, learning to approach each situation with empathy and awareness of the many factors that can influence care.
Writing on Stone Provincial Park, Alberta
Chalafont Cove high viewpoint, Lake superior Provincial Park
Valentine's Day cross country skiing, Hiawatha, Sault Ste. Marie.
As they reflect on their academic journey, the couple acknowledges the program’s rigorous coursework.
“The classes felt hard in the moment, but they weren’t impossible, you just had to apply the skills you continuously build upon in your pharmacy toolkit,” Gowlett says.
Gowlett and Miller are excited for their next journey in their pharmacy career. Near to the end of their rotations, Miller found a message on his Facebook account from the associate owner at Shoppers Drug Mart in Port Alberni, where they completed their second co-op term.
“He was very impressed with the work we did during our co-op work term and asked us to come back and work for him after graduating,” Miller says. “It’s this kind of networking that sets you up for a pharmacy career.”
They’ve both accepted a two-year contract, with a great bonus and starting wage, in the rural area of Port Alberni, close to beautiful provincial parks perfect for hiking and camping.
“We’ve always wanted to be community pharmacists, we couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity straight out of School,” Gowlett says.
Looking ahead, they’re excited for the future, and are open to staying in Port Alberni or returning Sault Area Hospital.
“We came into the program hoping to leave as pharmacists,” they say. “But we gained so much more–knowledge, health literacy and confidence. There are so many opportunities out there for Waterloo Pharmacy grads,” they say.