During her upbringing in the Central African country of Cameroon, Vera N. Awah-Mwaka, PharmD, often observed local people dispensing medications to others suffering from various ailments. This exposure ignited her curiosity about, and fascination with, pharmaceuticals and the sheer universality of their effects, which later led her to enroll in school and earn her Doctor of Pharmacy from Texas Southern University in 2007. Since then, Dr. Awah-Mwaka has enjoyed a rewarding career in the industry, first as a pharmacist-turned-pharmacy manager at Walmart for 11 years and now as a pharmacist with CVS in Spring, Texas, since 2018. Her vital and highly respected responsibilities, in pursuit of helping people when they need it most, are communicating with doctors and other health professionals while preparing prescriptions, caring for patients, talking to patients about their medications, and counseling.
Dr. Awah-Mwaka is proud of the many professional clients and interpersonal connections she fostered during her years at Walmart. Due to her diligent oversight and ensuring the proper usage of medication, many of her patients and clients even followed her when she moved on to work with CVS. Regardless of where she applies her talents, she remains dedicated to promoting wellness for all by encouraging individuals to get vaccinated, a cause she champions most for its disease-preventing impact.
Having dual expertise and always willing to lend a helping hand when needed, Dr. Awah-Mwaka is also a passionate financial educator, because she believes that most people’s problems originate from their finances. One of her life’s goals is to financially educate as many people as possible by partnering with other corporate finance professionals working to educate 30 million people by 2030. Motivated by her faith to achieve this and other milestones that matter to her, Dr. Awah-Mwaka lives by her motto: “You work, as your life depends on it, then pray, and leave everything to God.”
Born one of identical triplets, yet charting her own special path in life, Dr. Awah-Mwaka gives ample credit for her success to the love and support she receives from her family, especially her husband, Emmanuel Mwaka, and her children. Facing a health care crisis at home more than a year ago, her husband had a kidney transplant, an experience that she says taught her to be grateful for everything and everyone in her life while relying on her faith, attending mass every morning. Dr. Awah-Mwaka’s sense of gratitude and duty extends to her community, too, through her longtime volunteer work with the BCA Southern Texas, where she serves as vice president and is a past treasure of the chapter, which is part of the Bali Cultural Association, USA.
