Indianapolis—Faraz Majid, PharmD., who received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2015, is utilizing the skills he learned during his time as an undergraduate and applying them to his role at Eli Lilly & Co.
“My time at the School of Science helped me with problem-solving, test-taking and teamwork. The recitation classes and labs we had to do were oftentimes a pain but they taught me a lot about how to approach a problem, especially within a group of people—an extremely valuable skill in the job market,” said Majid.
After graduation, Majid went on to the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, holding several internships before earning his Doctor of Pharmacy in 2018.
Now, Majid is an associate consultant in the Leadership Development Program with the world-renowned Eli Lilly & Co.
“The Leadership Development Program is basically a fellowship-type program, where I go to 4 different areas and do stints there for at least six months if not more,” explained Majid. “Actually, the Leadership Development Program was meant to stay within the Lilly Research Labs area and I expanded its reach to commercial parts of the company.”
Those different areas include product delivery, market research, regulatory advertising and promotions and the global brand marketing team.
“My time with regulatory and marketing was spent on one of Lilly’s oncology brands, Verzenio,” stated Majid.
He’s also a lead team member of an employee resource group known as AMECA (Africa, Middle East, Central Asia), and a lead coordinator of the APPE Pharmacy Student Rotational Program.
Majid credits Kevin L. Rand, Ph.D., an associate professor of psychology, with having the biggest impact on his studies and career.
“We had discussions about psychology and how it relates to pop culture. Finding a way to relate to the students was what he did and I wish more mentors would take that approach of guiding and building up rather than worrying about grades on a report card.”
Even science has an aspect of art to it and that curiosity is going to get you further than blind acceptance. Failure and harsh feedback is an opportunity to grow, not a brick wall.
Faraz Majid, PharmD
During his time at the School of Science and IUPUI, Majid participated in intramural sports, the Muslim Student Association and the Pakistani Student association. He also pursued another passion, sports blogs, which turned into a stint with SB Nation’s Stampede Blue.
Majid has some advice for current students, saying now is the time to find your passion and not to be afraid of failing.
“College provides you the biggest support of exploration you’ll ever get in your life. So, take your time stepping back and finding what you really want to do. Then do it. If you’re afraid then you’re probably doing it right. Also, don’t be scared to fail, ask “dumb” questions and be overall curious about what is being taught to you. Even science has an aspect of art to it and that curiosity is going to get you further than blind acceptance. Failure and harsh feedback is an opportunity to grow, not a brick wall.”
Plus, he has this piece of advice for those who are still figuring out their next step.
“You don’t need to have your future planned out but you want to put your present in the hands of people that care about YOU as an individual. Don’t resist that crazy thought you have in your mind about something that interests you becoming your future—experiment, fail, learn, seek guidance and keep pursuing your zany curiosities. That’s when you’ll find your purpose and give the world a gift it didn’t know it needed.”