I always knew I wanted to be a pharmacist, ever since high school. That was always a plan.” 

Howard University’s 2026 College of Pharmacy graduates were celebrated May 6 during the Oath and Awards Ceremony, held ahead of Howard’s 158th Commencement Ceremony happening May 9. Among those graduates was Christopher Bratcher, a scholar-athlete whose path to Howard may have been a bit by chance, however, his career path, inspired by one very important person, was anything but. 

“My mom, she went to Morgan State,” said Bratcher, noting that his mother went to the Baltimore-based HBCU for undergrad before attending Temple University’s pharmacy school. “She’s a pharmacist, so she really inspired me. She was my first inspiration. ‘What they see, is what they’ll be’ — that’s a big motto that I live by.” 

Bratcher, who added that he didn’t see many Black professionals outside of his own family, was also influenced by the work he saw his mother doing outside of the pharmacy. 

“She was my first inspiration for what it meant to be a pillar in your community, to give back to your community; to be that person that people can rely on during some of their more vulnerable moments, whether, in her case, it’s counseling them on some of their most important medications, giving vaccinations, or giving public health kind of advice,” he continued. “Since pharmacists are the most visible and accessible healthcare professionals in any given community, I was able to see the kind of role that she was able to fulfill and that really inspired me to go down that same path.”

Journey to Howard

Although his mother went to an HBCU, Bratcher said he wasn’t familiar with Howard, explaining that most of the schools he and his brothers attended growing up were predominately white institutions. “There weren’t that many other Black or mixed families that would have possibly ever come to an HBCU,” he said. “Me stumbling onto Howard was a combination of academics and athletics. I was a track athlete, so I was hoping to get an athletic scholarship and on top of that, an academic scholarship, which I was able to both get coming to Howard.” 

Calling the scholarship a “huge blessing and a great opportunity,” Bratcher later learned that the university was home to the only pharmacy school in the D.C. metropolitan area. “It was kind of the best of both worlds and the perfect match for me,” he said. “This was always the plan, to go from undergrad to grad; make it the easiest transition possible — so I can go with no gap years and kind of have a more accelerated route on that end.”

Howard University, that’s the only place that I could have seen myself be able to actually grow into somebody that I wanted to see in the future, as a future pharmacist, as a future man, as a future professional joining the thousands of other professionals, Black professionals, that have gone through the university.

Many students speak of their initial walk of The Yard, being surrounded by students and history, and how that experience makes it clear that Howard was in fact the right choice for them. During his first visit as an athlete walking through campus, Bratcher came to this same conclusion.   

“Once I took that official visit, I fully [understood] what it entails to be at a HBCU,” he said, excited to be surrounded by people who looked like him in a space for him. “This is actually now an entire community built by us, for us ever since 1867.  I thought that was very beautiful. I thought that was very strong, and I felt like as a person, I'll be able to grow a lot more effectively at this institution.”  

The Bison went on to say that he quickly learned that this experience –– to show up as his authentic self while receiving the education he sought in order to reach his dream career –– was unique to Howard.

“If I were to go anywhere else, I feel like I would kind of have to suppress myself, “Bratcher said. “But Howard University, that’s the only place that I could have seen myself be able to actually grow into somebody that I wanted to see in the future, as a future pharmacist, as a future man, as a future professional joining the thousands of other professionals, Black professionals, that have gone through the university. It empowered me to dig deeper, better myself, and join their ranks as best as I can.” 

A Scholar and an Athlete 

Bratcher joined the university’s track and field program as an undergraduate majoring in chemistry and then in 2021, he was named one of the three inaugural student winners of the Howard-Alto Pharmacy Scholarship. The students, from the 2026 graduating class, were awarded full-tuition scholarships for four at the Howard University College of Pharmacy.

“It meant a lot,” he said of receiving the award, which required him to finish all his prerequisite coursework in three years. “It was really pivotal to me staying here [at Howard] continuing my education at a HBCU. It was only one of five HBCUs with pharmacy schools, and to be in that small cohort of HBCU-taught pharmacists and trained pharmacists is definitely very huge. I’m very grateful to Alto Pharmacy for giving me that opportunity.”

In addition to his course work, Bratcher also had to balance his athletic obligations. However, he didn’t find juggling the two difficult, calling himself a quick learner who understood the importance of being consistent and putting academics first, even if it meant getting creative with studying. 

“I had to learn how to do it on my phone, to do it on my laptop,” he recalled. “I may not be in a setting where it’s the most academically conducive, whether that be out on the track or on a bus, a hotel room, whether we’re off going to meets. But I just had to remember my purpose for being at Howard. I had to understand that I was a student first; I was going to be a future healthcare professional.” 

When asked what skills transitioned from the field to the classroom, Bratcher said perseverance.  

“A lot of the tasks or the skills that I transferred over to working in a pharmacy, in the hospital, throughout my rotations or in the lab was my perseverance,” he noted. “While I say it’s easy physically to do training, to do my sport — and that’s my own personal opinion — you still have a lot of obstacles and hurdles right in front of you, whether that’s 100 pounds on your back or in your hands as you’re in the weight room, or  as you’re going through the throwing events, which is what I competed in. You have to push through, even though there’s a constant force that’s either weighing you down or in your direct pathway to success. Perseverance is the biggest skill that I translated from athletics to academics. And I think you could see that in any other any other student-athlete.”

All the medications that are going to possibly reach the patient has to first go through a pharmacist — and we are heralds and stewards of both safety and efficacy.” 

A Pharmacist for the People

Given how competitive the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program is, not to mention the way Bratcher chose to go straight through with no gap years, the young man’s commitment is evident. He’s juggled his academics, sports, and current patients (he’s served as an inpatient intern at Children’s National Hospital since June of 2023). Bratcher’s determination to become a pharmacist is apparent. 

“Since I always knew I wanted to be in healthcare and be of service to others, pharmacy really clicked for me,” said Bratcher. “When looking more into pharmacy and more into healthcare, giving medications is the whole foundation for our entire healthcare model. The pharmacist is the expert of any and all medications. They’re going to touch the lives of not only the patient, but also the physicians, any students, any nurses, any other technicians. All the medications that are going to possibly reach the patient has to first go through a pharmacist — and we are heralds and stewards of both safety and efficacy.” 

For the future pharmacist following in the footsteps of his mother, his patient’s safety and comfort is Bratcher’s top priority. 

“I wanted to ensure that any patient that I come across, and that is in my care, doesn’t have to worry about if this is safe or not,” he emphasized. “The only thing that they have to worry about is getting better. I feel like I'll be able to have the most impact on hundreds or thousands of people’s lives throughout my career through pharmacy, and my mom was a big inspiration for starting that.”

Life After Howard and Advice for Future Bison 

Bratcher’s short-term goals post graduation include finishing up his first year of residency at Howard University Hospital. “I’ll be a PGY1 resident there in their Department of Pharmacy,” he said. “Thereafter, I’ll either decide to do a second year of residency or go into a clinical position.” He went on to explain that the choice will depend on available opportunities and if a second year of residency is decided upon. 

“Residency isn’t necessarily required on the traditional path of becoming a pharmacist,” he explained. “But as a clinical pharmacist, if you want to specialize, go on rounds, or work in a deeper role and responsibility in the hospital, then you need that residency to be as competent and ready for any clinical situation as possible. My short-term goals are to finish residency and to land a big, impactful clinical position in a hospital.” He intends to stay in the DC area and shares that he’s open to work in pediatrics, general population, or geriatrics.

One of Bratcher’s fondest Howard memories, he said, was Welcome Week as a freshman. He recalled seeing “Black people that are from all over the world, all over the diaspora,” who were coming together at Howard to receive a higher education not just for their own improvement, but for their families, communities and future generations. 

With that in mind, his advice to those stepping onto The Yard for the first time or those hoping to one day goes back to perseverance and leaning into community.

“You got to keep your head high, looking towards the finish line. If there is no clear finish line, you have to make it for yourself. Because the only ones who are going to be here for us, is each other,” he said. “So, if nothing else, be ready to build that future for yourself and the people around you.”