From STC to hometown pharmacist

South Texas College has always been in reach for Andres Silva, Pharm.D. Growing up near the Starr County Campus on Hospital Road, Silva said he watched the college expand over the years with new resources and opportunities.

Silva said, coming from a family of pharmacists, his uncle owns Lino’s Pharmacy in Roma and Rio Grande City, he began working down the street from the STC campus at the pharmacy at the age of 15, being exposed to the trade early on.

“We have a small family business and it’s really nice to see familiar faces like teachers, principals and coaches. I would work three days a week, and I liked the fact that pharmacy was so accessible to patients,” Silva said. “So, at an early age knowing that my uncle is a pharmacist, I saw how much he impacted the community. That was something that I really fell in love with.”

Silva began taking classes at STC as a sophomore at Roma High School, taking dual credit courses to complete his academic prerequisites for pharmacy school.

He then attended the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley to complete his remaining undergraduate requirements, before applying to the University of Texas at Austin (UT) – College of Pharmacy.

“I had a list of prerequisites that I knew I had to take in order to get into UT, so in high school I saw that STC offered those required classes like Chemistry and Biology for example. I basically check marked what I could take at STC and then whatever the college didn’t offer I took at UTRGV,” Silva said. “Being able to attend classes at STC was a really great experience for me. It was accessible, making it easy to take my classes and get a good education without a high cost.”

Receiving his Doctor of Pharmacy, or Pharm.D., from UT in May 2023, Silva said he returned to his roots in Starr County – Lino’s Pharmacy.

Throughout his educational journey, Silva said it was STC that enabled him to combine his small-town upbringing and senses of community to his role as a pharmacist.

“As a pharmacist, you’re able to give back, which is probably the best thing about being in this profession. I know from experience that there are so many opportunities out there for students and there are so many careers, and that makes it really easy to become indecisive about what you want to do. The trick is to find something you really love and have a passion for,” Silva said. “STC especially has so many resources and opportunities for students such as online classes and courses to help them expand their knowledge and finish their degree in the quickest way possible.”