How to Lead While You’re Still Becoming

In this episode of Success in Doses, I sit down with Precious Craig, fourth-year student pharmacist, national student leader, and changemaker, for a powerful conversation about stepping into leadership before you feel ready.

Precious shares her journey from co-founding an SNPhA chapter at the University of Arizona to becoming national president, all while balancing pharmacy school, personal challenges, academic pressure, and growth in real time.

We talk about confidence, imposter syndrome, student leadership, raising your hand for opportunities, and why sometimes the biggest growth happens when you say yes before you feel prepared.

If you’re a pharmacy student, resident, early-career professional, or anyone trying to grow into the next version of yourself, this episode will encourage you to trust your potential and lead while you’re still becoming.

Thank you for supporting the show. Follow @successindosespod

career advancement, negotiation skills, pharmacists, personal development, confidence, asking for what you want, mindset shifts, professional growth, self-advocacy, boldness

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Success in Doses. I'm your host, Saleh. This podcast is about the real journeys behind meaningful careers, the pivots, the risks, the moments of doubt, and the lessons that shape who we become. Each episode, I sit down with people who are building impactful lives and careers, and we break down the experiences that help them get there. Because success rarely happens overnight, it happens in doses. Let's dive in on becoming on purpose. Good morning, everyone, and thank you so much for joining us for another amazing conversation today on Success in Doses Podcast. I'm your host, Saleh, and today for our episode, the theme we'll be exploring is becoming on purpose, leading while you're still becoming. This conversation will focus on the unique experience of stepping into national leadership as a student pharmacist and navigating the tension between learning, growing, and leading at the same time. To help us facilitate and lead that conversation today, I can't tell you how excited I am to welcome to the pod Precious Craig. And Precious Craig is a fourth-year student pharmacist at University of Arizona, born in Lagos, Nigeria, and raised in Peoria, Arizona. She earned her master's in public health in 2025 and a BS in public health with a minor in biochemistry in 2021. In 2022, she's co-founded and served as president of the SNAFA chapter at her school. Nationally, she serves as the SNAFA national president-elect from 2024 to 2025, region 5 facilitator from 2023 to 2024, and was a member of the National Nominations Committee in 2023. Precious launched a Black Health Fair in Tucson to address health disparities in underserved communities and has actively supported underrepresented students through her leadership roles. She also facilitated collaboration between SNAFA and Mexona, a program that sends pharmacy students to Mexico for monthly health clinic. That is freaking awesome, by the way. She completed the Greater Tucson Leadership Lead Tucson program, earning the General Rano L. Kurt Award and becoming one of the youngest recipients of Tucson's 40 under 40. Precious is passionate about pursuing a career in the pharmaceutical industry in her free time. She coaches track for the Tucson Elite Athletic Club and enjoys playing the guitar, boxing, weightlifting, cooking, and photography. This year, Precious will serve as the SNAFA national president and is excited to continue driving meaningful change within the organization. She looks forward to connecting with fellow students and continuing to rise beyond limits within the community. You guys, I am so excited to welcome Precious Craig to the podcast. Hi, Precious.

SPEAKER_01 2:59

LA, thank you for having me on here.

SPEAKER_00 3:01

No, the pleasure really and truly is mine. And I think that people really think that you need to be like, oh, super extrovert to step up for student leadership. I have so much respect for students that step up and decide that they have something to contribute on such a large scale to their university, to their community, to their chapters. It is a lot. I wanted you to kind of start us back from the beginning. What made you pick SNAFA? What was it about SNAFA where as you started developing as a student pharmacist, you figured and identified, yeah, this is definitely my home organization that I'm gonna step up in?

SPEAKER_01 3:47

For me, I think it was definitely the community aspect of SNAFA and what it had to offer, especially being around other students who look like me and kind of had the same vision in mind. Uh for me, being from Arizona and attending the University of Arizona, it's a predominantly white institution. And when I had started pharmacy school, had uh one of the highest numbers of black students in the class. I think there was about maybe 10 to 15 of us. I mean and my sister, we really wanted to do something with those numbers. So we were just researching organizations that had a predominantly black uh population, and we came across SNAFA, and from there we we took the leap. We applied to start a chapter at our university, and we met with the national president at that time, and she was so supportive. She invited us to attend the national convention in Atlanta, and we did. I remember just going there and just feeling so welcomed and so in place. And I always say that the organization truly saved my life because at that time I was really at such a crossroads in my career, and I was just feeling a little bit isolated and and I didn't really know what I wanted to do pharmacy-wise. But Sanafra really, it really, I say it saved not only my pharmacy career, but also me personally as a student.

SPEAKER_00 5:04

Okay, so real quick, if you're enjoying this conversation, go ahead and rate and review the podcast. It helps more people find the show and keeps the conversation going. Okay, so let's get back to the conversation. That's so profound because I think when you come in as a P1, you have all these organizations in your face, right? Everybody's like, join us, we do this, we do this, we do that. I remember being in pharmacy school and really struggling with which organizations I was going to first of all just be a member of, and then which organization was I going to show up in and make sure that I brought my natural talents and other practical skills to? It's very interesting that you talk about establishing a chapter. So for the person who's listening to this and has no idea the type of work that that is, can you take us through a little bit? Because that takes conviction, okay? Like that takes conviction to decide that you're going to establish a chapter. Can you tell us a little bit about you've mentioned your sister? You were in pharmacy school with your sister.

SPEAKER_01 6:12

Yes, I have a twin sister. Uh, she graduated last in 2025, which I'll get I'll get a little bit more into that probably later in this episode because I have a very interesting story. Yes, we started pharmacy school together. Both um, we just wanted to create a safe space on campus where other students who look like us could feel welcomed. And uh we came across SNAFA and we did feel very convicted because we are like, okay, we have these numbers. Let's create a club where everyone can really come together. And thankfully, on the SNAFA side, they made the process so smooth. I decided I was gonna be president, my sister was our vice president. Then we found two to three other board members, and then our chapter advisor. Then from there, we sent to the application. So SNAFA met with the national president at the time, and she it was a smooth process. But on the school's end, you know, you have to deal with like the tax filing, getting a tax ID, yeah, getting the club registered through the actual university. So that in itself was a process that ended up taking an additional like three months to get it approved from our school. But overall, I'm just glad that everything worked out and we are able to get the organization on board and finally started. But it is a long process, but it's a process that's definitely worth it.

SPEAKER_00 7:28

Absolutely. And that's legacy. I think what's really impressive about that is that University of Arizona now has a SNAFA chapter. Um, a place where, like you, a student of color that walks onto this campus where they're like looking for other people, they know that like here I am probably likely to find community and SNAFA's mission of improving health for medically underserved and underrepresented. That's something that resonates with any person of color. It doesn't even matter what your background is, that resonates with you because you know how true of a thing that is on a personal level or whatever community you came from. It's why, like, I'm always so impressed whenever students actually go through the motion and say, we need a chapter here because we can be impactful here. I think that's so profound. The decision to step up for national leadership, because I'm trying to figure out what is that road like? Like what? Because I remember a DM that I got, it was just like, oh, can you? And I was like, I love cold DMs that are bold and just it was so encouraging. And I found myself rooting for you without even meeting you yet, right? What take us through what your thought process was when you've just established a chapter. You're probably learning how to establish, run the chapter, bring this chapter into visibility. How do you go from leadership locally to saying, you know what? I think I can do this on a higher scale and have more to give at that level.

SPEAKER_01 9:03

The story behind that is honestly so interesting and so crazy. I remember I started SNAFA at my school. Everything was going well there. You know, we grew the organization to, I think, about 25 to 30 members. But it was actually during that spring semester that um I kind of just started dealing with a little bit of some things happening in life. And I remember speaking with some of the people on the the e board at that time, and they're like, hey, you should really consider joining the national board. And believe it or not, it actually wasn't really something that was on my mind. It took some convincing yeah, then I was um I was dealing with some personal things at the time. Then I remember telling someone on the board those things that I was dealing with, and they're like, hey, like, regardless of that, like SNAFA is here to support you. We're help, we're here to help you get through that difficult season. So I was like, okay, I decided to go for it. And at that point, I really just saw the encouraging aspect of what SNAFA had to offer in that family sense because academically I remember um I served at the as a national president, but a lot of people don't know that when I ended up adding my master's onto um onto my Farm D because I was technically supposed to graduate in 2025. I was actually dealing with some health issues at that time, which caused me to add the masters on. And I think it ended up working out for its good because had I not pursued that master's, I wouldn't even have ended up being eligible to be the national president elect. So how it happened was some people on the board identified me into like, hey, I think you would be a really good region five facilitator. And I was like, okay, I went for it, I interviewed Charmaine, who was the pres the president-elect at the time, uh, appointed me to Region Five facilitator.

SPEAKER_00 10:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:45

And then uh from there, I remember I was sharing with someone on the board the year before of just all the craziness that was going on. If you've ever seen a presentation from me, I have like a picture of Dave's hot chicken, and it's because after a medcim exam, I had so much going on. I literally fainted in the parking lot of Dave's hot chicken. And that was like, that was kind of my wake-up call. And that was what caused me to like end up adding the masters on. And um, I joke about it that that happened, but for me, it was really kind of like the first sense of what I saw God was working out, working out for me in the background of things and what he was equipping me for and appointing me to end up becoming the next president elective snappers. From there, uh, after being Region 5 facilitator, uh someone was like, you know, what if all of these things that's happening? What if it's because God wants you to become the next president elective SNAFA? And I was like, never, I never really thought about that. But you may be onto something. I was like, okay, well, let me run. I ran. And then here I am, the national president now. So it's a really crazy and funny story.

SPEAKER_00 11:50

Yeah, but also, uh, there's so much in there, right? Because we are pharmacists by nature, we are like type A planners. The next step has to be absolutely clear before we take it. But it just sounds like you are following the advice that many, many of our mentors give us it's raise your hand, say yes, even if you don't feel ready for it. And so for me, I always wonder about that with like emerging leaders such as yourself. How ready did you actually feel for the role? Did that did you have any hesitation in stepping up and thinking, I'm not ready for this level of service, exposure, all the above. Did that any of that go through your mind?

SPEAKER_01 12:40

100% because if anyone knows me, I'm actually very introverted. I'm a very introverted person. If it's one-on-one like this or in front of a couple people, I could yap for hours. Actually, like in front of large groups of people, I've always been on the more introverted side. And that was actually feedback that I got when I had considered running, like, hey, you may need to be a little bit more extroverted. And even with things like, you know, sending emails, I remember sometimes I would like make mistakes and have typos. I'm like, there's absolutely no way I could be the next president of this organization like me, like little precious came from like three at three years old. Like, no, like I had some doubt. I felt like I wasn't ready. But at the end of the day, like my biggest advice is you really just have to bet on yourself. Like, I have it written on my wall. That's my video. But when someone tells you you can't do something, you don't listen to them, you bet on yourself. And that was just something I had to do because I was the one telling myself, I don't know if I can do it. But at the end of the day, I had to trust my skill set and my beliefs and know if the people voted for me, then it was meant to be.

SPEAKER_00 13:46

And and you touch on something like really important there, which is like we are always our own biggest critics. I think like I always think like if um when I give a presentation and people give me feedback, it's always good. But internally, I'm thinking like you want to I was supposed to say this on this slide and I didn't say that. I was supposed to say this on this slide and I didn't say that. And so I think it's so like it speaks to the level of self-awareness that you have to know that yeah, you probably did feel some hesitation and were aware, like, hey, I'm not really good with large crowd and speaking in front of people, but that's a part of the job and responsibility, and I need to get over that. So I'm very I'm interested in kind of knowing like, what are some ways that you've seen yourself change and grow since stepping up in this way?

SPEAKER_01 14:44

I think some ways I've seen myself change and grow is I think just the confidence aspect. Like, I don't want to say that I wasn't confident before, but if anyone knows me, I'm a very cool, calm, and collected person. And at times I can be very monotone. And that was kind of one of the biggest pieces of feedback. Like sometimes people would be like, Are you angry? Are you sad? Are you okay? I'm like, Yeah, I'm fine. Like, I just I'm just a very calm person. Show my emotions, it's like, well, try it. And I was like, okay, that's actually good feedback because I don't want the people of SNAFA to think that I'm an angry person. So I think just being more confident in myself and my mannerisms and just being self-aware in that aspect. And I think especially I've grown a lot when it comes to public speaking. I remember probably if anyone saw me give my first speech, like my head was always down, like I wasn't always making eye contact. Just the change in my voice and how I speak, that's something that I've gotten a lot more confident into. Then overall, just my leadership. I never expected that I would be able to lead a board of 20-something plus people of other policy students across the nation, but it's something that I actively do every day. So I think it's that avenue of the growth in itself, too.

SPEAKER_00 15:57

And so, in the simplest terms, then taking this risk and putting yourself out there the way you have, as risky, as scary, as uncertain as the journey's been, would this be a path you recommend to other students?

SPEAKER_01 16:11

I say a hundred percent. Like for me, one of my biggest hesitations when running for the board was being able to balance it. But one of the nice things about SNAFA was like the access you have to the NAFA network. Like, for me, I remember one of the classes that almost took me out several times was infectious disease. And who was an infectious disease specialist, none other than our national executive director. Yeah. Like, maybe not, like there were so many times where it was probably like 10 p.m. at night, 11 p.m., like midnight, Dr. Christian would literally be on Zoom calls with me teaching me infectious disease was bacteriotical, bacteriostatic, helping me prepare for OSCE. So I think that just like I think if you have the self-awareness, because for me it was like if I'm gonna be on this board, I have to put in the extra work in school and the other things that I need to counter it. So 100% recommend it. Um, I think the self-awareness in terms of like taking the step to speak to people already on the board and see if it's a good fit and if the time commitment is something that you would be up for. But I always say that SNAFA has saved my life, so it's something that I always recommend.

SPEAKER_00 17:21

Superpower. So a friend of mine, Adrian Simmons, she and I always talked about because Adrian and I connected through our leadership involvement in APHA ASB. But we were also both SNAFA members. And I remember like it, this wasn't something I think we understood while we were in school. It was years later. We talked about the fact that SNAFA was like our boot camp. SNAFA is where we came to learn how to show up for ourselves in those rooms that were not built for us, right? And when we felt like the minorities and we felt like the lesser voice in the room, we were still able to show up confidently in those spaces and do our thing. And it's why it holds a very special place in my heart as an organization and a place I continue to go to for service and reaching student pharmacists because the mentorship I got in SNAFA was unmatched, right? And I think like when you're in school and you're figuring it out and you're trying to decide if I'm gonna focus solely on academics or I'm not gonna mix it up with any leadership stuff. What I'm hoping that students who hear your story and all of the uncertainties that you had and still stepped up and that that is working out for you so well and so beautifully, I hope that that gives them courage also that they can become, right? What's been the most surprising component of this uncertain journey? Like this journey you just kind of were like raised your hand for. What's been the most surprising realization along the way in the journey so far for you?

SPEAKER_01 19:06

I think for me, I think probably the most surprising journey for me is probably just making it through to the finish line. Like I know we talked about the uncertainty, but for me, there is really times where academically I was like, I don't know if I can do this. Like, yeah, I don't know if I can make it. I remember during my president elect year, like, not to get overly spiritual, but I remember like kind of like my career flashing before my eyes. It was infectious disease. But I remember sitting in that final, I walked into the final and I said, Ha God, I said, My enemies have sex. I said, I'm so dramatic. I started writing my letter of resignation, like, oh Dr. Christian, I don't know if I'm still gonna be able to become snapper president. I thought I no, I'm serious. Like, I know it sounds funny, but I remember like I went home and I was just crying. And then I called my mom and the prayer warriors, and my mom was like, you know, we need to pray that God's mercy will triumph over judgment. I was just crying and crying and crying. I was like, stop crying. You don't even know what the results are. And I'm telling you, like, intercession definitely took place because I'm telling you, there is if it wasn't for the grace of God, there was no way I would have passed that. Like something supernatural happened. So for me, it's really just been making it through and like knowing that at the end of the day, God has brought me this far and then he's not gonna be all of it, even if there's moments of uncertainty. So for me, I know it may sound like a cliche answer, but for me, I think it's really just making it through to the end of the finish line.

SPEAKER_00 20:36

I don't think there's anything cliche about it because I tell people like we all have our different anchors. Like for some people, it really and truly is their faith. They everything that they do or don't do, they place in the shadow of their faith. That is a core component of their identity and how they work. And other people, they take more ownership and it's just like I know who I am. I don't quit, I don't give up, even if the going gets hard. For others, it's a mixture of a whole bunch of different things. They have a squad, a group of people that gives them positive reinforcement. But I think that it's it's just funny that you walked in and said, Oh, my enemies have my enemies have succeeded. They have won. It is over. I just need to accept the be. That's hilarious. No, but I I admire the candor, I respect it very much because a lot of people won't be transparent. But I was in a three-year program, right? Where pass is 85 every two weeks. Trying to balance that and be in chapter president and be in regional delegate, it's very demanding. And I think we we put all of this in because in our heart, we feel like there is something we truly feel like we have to offer this organization. And in return, what you are seeing, precious, is that. You're surrounded by people who genuinely and truly believe in your potential and they see how much of yourself you give. That's why you get things like people getting on to help you get through an exam and help you prepare for ASCII. It's because they know how much of yourself you give. And if you are asking for help in one area and they can do that, they're definitely going to come to your rescue and jump on and do that. I think I wanted to also touch a little bit on next steps and what you envision for yourself and from an organizational standpoint. Because what I love to see is when I see the national president, and then a few years later, I see you becoming NAFA president. And I'm like, So I I I just want to be on record here about whether or not we have some of those future predictions and aspirations, and whether or not I'll be called upon to help support a campaign in the future for a board seat or something. You know, I'm just I'm just curious. So I'm just gonna let you answer that real quick.

SPEAKER_01 23:06

Sure. Very great question. I mean, NAFA has always been good to me. Like Dr. Christian is NAFA, she's so supportive, she's our biggest cheerleader. So I think for me, one of the really encouraging aspects of getting to be a part of SNAFA is seeing the resilience and great and the representation of NAFA that specifically Dr. Christian brings. And that's something that definitely interests me in NAFA. Whether or not I'll run for NAFA president, that is something that I need to ponder on more. Obviously, I will be joining NAFA. I think just because of, you know, like the NAFA terms, it's just it's a huge life commitment. And I, you know, like I have a lot of life going on. Like I'll be getting married in this um near future. Um, like in a few years. So just trying to be mindful of that aspect of things. But I think maybe in some decades down the line, yes, you all may see me as an alpha president for five years. Probably not in the next five years.

SPEAKER_00 24:08

I got it here first. Whenever it happens, I'm just gonna go archive this audio and pull it up to be like, she talked about this with me first. I think that, and also it's just the unbelievable maturity with which you think, right? We all want to believe that like the level of involvement we have when we were students, it's gonna roll on right over when we graduate. But reality is pharmacy school pretty much yanks you out of your personal life. Like it yanks you out. And when you graduate, the first thing you want to do is run back to what everything you've missed, all the baby showers, all the brunches, the birthday, the trips, everything you missed. You want to reestablish some of that normalcy back for yourself. And I think it's very mature thinking to say that this organization will always hold a place in my heart, but I'm definitely gonna pace myself with the level and degree to which I will continue my involvement. That is a very smart answer and way to think about involvement.

SPEAKER_01 25:11

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 25:12

Oh, yes, of course. Uh I wanted to know. I ask all my guests this question. What is one dose of advice you would give someone who is stepping into leadership while they are still becoming the person that they hope to be?

SPEAKER_01 25:27

I would say that the dose of advice I would give someone, I said it a little bit earlier during the podcast, but it's really just bet on yourself. For me, like that, that's really my mantra for everything. Like in life, you have to really be willing to take those risks and those leaps of faith and trust that it will get you where you need to be because everything happens for a reason. So, my dose advice bet on yourself and believe in yourself. You don't know where that one simple yes is gonna take you.

SPEAKER_00 25:55

You don't know where that one simple yes is going to take you. Love that. That's a real dose of success right there. And I I appreciate, and as I've said to you, I respect and admire you so much. And I think that voices like yourself and people like yourself, like I follow, I feel like every time a SNAFA chapter comes across as a suggested account, I follow because it's how I it's how I stay hip, it's how I know what's going on, it's how I know which chapters are doing what cool events and how I can support. And I mean that genuinely as you continue your journey. If I can do anything to support regionally, chapter level, nationally, if you need me to lend my voice or my time to anything, I hope you know that that is really a simple ask and nothing formal. You can just shoot me a DM or something. Like, don't send me a random formal email because I'm gonna email you back and be like, text it to me. I appreciate you taking the time today to join me. I appreciate you today. And you are fresh off rotations too. Like ran in and was like, let's do this. So I really do appreciate you being on the podcast. I can't wait to see all of the amazing things you do next. Thanks for coming.

SPEAKER_01 27:16

Of course, thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_00 27:18

You're welcome. So now that it's just us, one of the things I love and admire about Precious is her grace. She's so modest and she doesn't even realize how absolutely inspirational she is by the fact that she started a chapter and then took all of what she learned there to step up on a national stage to contribute. As I've said, as a person who has some exposure to national leadership, I know how demanding it can be to step into this into the spotlight and wanting to carry your school out of the shadows and bringing that visibility to an organization's mission and vision and what they are all about. What I loved that we learned from Precious Today is that that journey wasn't simple, it wasn't linear, and it wasn't like smooth. But through the support of her sister, she was able to establish that chapter at her school. And through other people recognizing that she had something to offer, she said yes, even through the uncertainty of I'm shy, I'm an introvert, public speaking is not really my strong suit. And today she is doing a wonderful job representing SNAFA at a national level. And it's something I love to see. It's why I thought that conversation with her would be so amazing for you all to hear. Because if you are a person who wants to become a leader, you are a person who wants to make a change, you are a person who believes that you have something to offer at any level. Stepping up for that position doesn't mean that you need more credentialing, more expertise. You just have to have the desire to serve and you have to have the stamina to be willing to figure it out. But raising your hand, even when you're unsure, is what I learned today from my really good friend Precious. I hope this episode was meaningful for you on our all of our journeys of becoming on purpose. And as always, I am incredibly grateful that you've chosen me to start your Monday morning with. Thank you so much, and I'll see you again next Monday with another brand new episode. All right, bye. If this episode gave you something to think about, something to hold on to, or even something to act on, I want to ask you for one more thing. Take a moment to write and review the podcast. It feels really small, but it's actually one of the biggest ways you can support this show. It helps more people find these conversations and become part of this community we're building right here on Success and Dosing.