When Jordan Scott ’17 entered Houghton as an education major, he had dreams of coaching basketball and teaching high school chemistry. He could not have imagined the role he now plays, ministering to the needs of cancer patients at Buffalo’s Roswell Park as a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist.

Jordan’s role focuses on bone marrow transplant and lymphoma patients. He is the go-to pharmacy resource for physicians and an educator for patients undergoing treatment. “I love working with patients undergoing chemotherapy,” Jordan says. “It’s tough, but having the opportunity to walk with them through a really challenging point in their lives is what gets me up every morning. Ministering directly to people with my skills as a pharmacist is the highlight of my work.”

As with many alumni, Jordan’s time at Houghton shaped and honed his sense of calling. He credits much of that shaping and honing to Houghton professor Dr. Karen (Reese ’93) Torraca. Dr. Torraca served as Jordan’s advisor, and it was her medical biology course that introduced Jordan to the idea of becoming a pharmacist.

Beyond learning with Dr. Torraca in the classroom, Jordan had the opportunity to work alongside his mentor in the lab and in life. A former senior research scientist with pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, Dr. Torraca brought Jordan into the lab through the Shannon Summer Research Institute. “I had no idea how to do research,” Jordan shared. “I discovered that anyone can do impactful research, and it prepared me well for what I do today. I had the ability to learn from an experience I never dreamed I’d have the opportunity to have.”

Outside the Paine Center for Science, Jordan managed a full co-curricular life as well. A dual sport athlete, Jordan developed exceptional time-management skills. He excelled on the basketball and tennis courts and served as a resident assistant in Rothenbuhler Hall. Still, Jordan found a way to earn academic achievements, including being named to the President’s List his junior year.

Jordan’s athletic endeavors didn’t just serve to fill his schedule. He spent a great deal of time learning about teamwork, a quality he developed in the classroom as well when he worked on a research team in First Year Science Honors. “College is a very ‘me’-focused time in your life, but in the real world, you always have to be able to work on a team. There is significant overlap between my experiences in teamwork at Houghton and my current work as a member of a patient care team.”

Jordan also spent time developing his leadership skills as an RA, as a member of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee and as a participant in Science Honors. He sees leadership as a way to give back through service, and he continues that kind of service today. Next year, he will serve as the Vice Chair of the American Pharmacists Association New Practitioner Network, and he is currently a member of Houghton University’s Athletic Advisory Board.

Scholar and servant – those are the two qualities I think of most when I think of Houghton graduates. And they’re two pillars I strive to achieve. I saw this modeled in the excellence of teaching and scholarly activity in the classroom and in the faculty-led ethos of Christ-centered servant-leadership.

“I’m forever in debt to Houghton,” said Jordan. “So many people there took chances on me, and I will always be looking for ways to give back.”

A true scholar-servant indeed.

Amanda (Shine ’05) Zambrano, Director of Donor Communications; Editor, Houghton Magazine