CoPPS, IPH Scholars Are FAMU’s Finest

June 02, 2026

Journey Magazine recently presented “FAMU’s Finest”, where the student led magazine recognized one male and one female scholar from each school or college at Florida A&M University. The magazine recognizes scholar’s academic achievements, campus involvement, and leadership. The process of selection began with nominations being submitted through Journey Magazine’s Instagram page, after being nominated the students received an application to formally apply.

Unfortunately, no students from the College of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Public Health initially applied. However, Journey Magazine staff member and Truist Bank Initiative intern Kazon Allen—formerly a Bank of America Initiative intern, at CoPPS, IPH—played a helping role on the selection committee. The selection committee scouted Aleigh Bonner and Javonte’ Blackmon, both recognized as among the top students in their respective programs. Blackmon was referred to by Allen, who had previously collaborated with him on projects within the college.

Aleigh Bonner’s journey into pharmacy is defined by perseverance and resilience. After exploring multiple career paths, she discovered her passion for serving underserved communities through healthcare. While balancing demanding coursework, leadership roles, and a clinical internship with CVS Pharmacy, Bonner also widened her perspective through a study-abroad experience at University College London. She feels motivated seeing her hard work being praised, “Being recognized as FAMU’s Finest as a representative of the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Public Health truly means a lot to me. This recognition is a reminder that the future is bright and motivates me to keep striving, stay grounded, and continue working toward the impact I hope to make in pharmacy and beyond.”

Javonte’ Blackmon, a non-traditional student who earned a Bachelor’s in Biology Pre-Med from FAMU in 2019 and is the Class of 2028 President, describes himself as “eclectic” in his bio in the magazine. Now committed to pharmacy and mentorship, he focuses on building alumni networks and strengthening community health initiatives. Blackmon cherishes the opportunity to represent the CoPPS,IPH in the student led magazine, “To represent FAMU COPPS,IPH as a student leader is an absolute honor. It’s my hope that the great things we’re doing within our college of pharmacy continues to be recognized and celebrated for years to come.” He spoke.

Also, the School of Architecture did not have any female scholars apply. To fill up that missing spot, Allen referred his former summer co-intern Maritza Wiggins, who interned at CoPPS, IPH under the same program. Wiggins is widely known as an all-around scholar at FAMU, involving herself in the Marching 100 and the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, among many other campus organizations.

Together, Bonner, Blackmon, and Wiggins embody the leadership, authenticity, and purpose that define FAMU’s Finest, especially in CoPPS,IPH.

By Kazon Allen