Pharmacy tech student wins national scholarship

West End

North End

La Salle

When Katlynn Derouard took a part-time job working at a pharmacy during her final year of high school, she didn’t know it would change her life.

“My aunt is a pharmacist in Kenora,” Derouard, 22, said. “I needed a job, because they didn’t know what was going on with the schools. She got me a part-time job there. I didn’t expect to really love being in the pharmacy, because it was complete chaos during COVID. But I loved it, being part of a team and being part of people’s health care.”

Derouard is now in her final semester of the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology’s pharmacy technician program. During her second year, she’s won two scholarships, valued at $10,000 and $3,000, and is one of only seven students across Canada — and the only recipient from Manitoba — to earn the Indigenous Pharmacy Professionals of Canada Indigenous Pharmacy Scholarship.

“It was crazy,” Derouard said of winning the IPPC scholarships. “I think I called my mom first and she started to cry because she was so excited. It was a big relief to focus on my studies this year and not stress myself out with work and studies, especially living far from home.”

Moving to Winnipeg from Kenora, Ont. has been an adjustment, Derouard admitted — especially since she commutes from La Salle and must deal with city traffic. But she’s getting used to it, and she’s looking forward to working in the central Winnipeg when she finishes her studies at MITT and a 12-week work-placement later this year.

“I’ve tried out all kinds of pharmacy, and currently I work at CancerCare Manitoba, so working with hazardous medication and mixing chemo is super-interesting to me,” she said.

A member of the Métis Nation of Ontario, Derouard said she has also enjoyed working at a pharmacy in the North End, where harm reduction is a key part of the job.

“Being from Kenora, there is a lot of substance use that is happening here,” she said. “I’ve seen it here and seen how it affects families. Being part of a pharmacy team and seeing how we can impact those families is super-important.”