Published on March 7, 2025 at 10 a.m. by Alison Ingle  
kennedy shoemaker

Kennedy Shoemaker, a second-year student in Samford University’s McWhorter School of Pharmacy, has been named to the 2025-26 class of Alabama Schweitzer Fellows, a chapter of the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship.

This year’s cohort includes 22 graduate students from across the state of Alabama. Over the next 15 months, fellows will immerse themselves in community health projects, addressing critical health challenges while strengthening their leadership skills. They will work closely with community site partners and academic mentors.

Jonathan Thigpen, assistant dean for curriculum innovation and professional development and assistant professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical, Social and Administrative Sciences, will serve as Shoemaker’s mentor .

“Kennedy is a wonderful student and passionate about helping others. She is an important part of our school community and truly represents what it means to have a service-oriented mindset,” Thigpen said. “I’m confident she will take full advantage of this opportunity, and I look forward to seeing her grow in public health research and practice.”

Shoemaker, a Southside, Alabama, native, took an untraditional path to pharmacy. She initially pursued a career in cardiac rehabilitation as an exercise physiologist, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in kinesiology from the University of Texas–San Antonio. After graduating in 2021, the pandemic disrupted her plans, leading her to a job at a local pharmacy, where she discovered her true passion. “With every class and encounter, I know pharmacy is where my heart lies,” Shoemaker said. “I can very confidently say that McWhorter is not just a pharmacy program but a family for life.”

Previous Samford Schweitzer Fellows:

  • Caitlyn Cleghorn (2016-17)
  • Meg Boothe (2018-19)
  • Domecia Brown (2019-20)
  • Madison Hartley (2021-22)
  • Glorian Vaughn (2024-25)
 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks with the second highest score in the nation for its 98% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.