Theo Gibson Saves the Best for Last
Theotis Gibson learned from his parents that the best should
always be saved for last - play after work and dessert after broccoli.
After three difficult years on the UNC Pembroke hardwood,
the Braves had their best season in four years at 16-11, and the senior from Morehead City was named second-team all-Peach
Belt Conference. A co-captain, Mr. Gibson scored over 1,000 points and hauled
in over 500 rebounds in his four-year career to join an elite group in Braves'
basketball history.
But the best reward for four years of hard work came in a
slim envelope when he was accepted to the Campbell University
School of Pharmacy.
"The first year was kind of hard for me all around," he
said. "It was a struggle to bring up my grades and make the transition to
college basketball."
Soft spoken and friendly, Theo took his mother's advice to
attend UNCP for his undergraduate degree. Anyone who has seen the muscular
6-foot-5 Gibson manhandle much larger players under the basket would never call
him a momma's boy.
"My mom wanted me to come here, but I wasn't so sure,"
Gibson said. "I'm glad I took her
advice. It was humbling, but I found myself as a person, and it was the best
four years of my life."
A former Clinical Health Summer Program (CHSP) participant,
Theo also got an assist from a hospital pharmacy internship arranged by the NC
Health Careers Access Program at UNCP. The internship confirmed that pharmacy
was the right career choice for Gibson.
"Not many minorities go into pharmacy, so I wanted to be a
role model," says scholar-athlete Gibson.
Theo is doing a good job of that.
Think you decided to become a health care professional too late or that your GPA is too low to get into medical school? Have no fear, post-baccalaureate programs are
here! 
Paula Borden joined the NC-HCAP team in February of 2007 and currently serves as the interim director of NC-HCAP. In this role, she provides leadership in financial management, administrative and programmatic planning and fundraising. 