Mosaic Award Recipient – A Life of Purpose, A Journey Still Rising
From Randolph to Boston. From broken English to public speaking. From a shy immigrant girl to the honored recipient of the 2025 JFCS Mosaic Award for Compassion — Dr. Vy Truong’s story is one of quiet resilience, bold service, and unstoppable love.
This is the road to here — a journey carved through tears, mentorship, and purpose. But this is only the beginning. There is so much more to come.
Dr. Vy Truong, Pharm.D: From the Cold Tracks of Boston to the Warm Heart of Kentucky
She was 17 years old. A small girl with a big dream. She stepped off the plane from Vietnam with a backpack, a dictionary, and a heart full of uncertainty. Her English was broken, her confidence brittle, and the culture around her overwhelming. But in her soul, there was something that no one could take away: the belief that if she just kept going — through the fear, the struggle, the silence — she could make a difference.
And she did.
The Commute That Built Character
For six years straight, Vy woke up early in Randolph, Massachusetts, often before the sun had even considered rising. Her father, a man of few words but endless love, would drive her through icy streets to the train station. From there, she boarded the commuter train into downtown Boston, headed for the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS).
That ride — an hour each way — became her quiet battlefield. In the brutal New England winters, when the temperature dipped well below zero and the wind screamed through the metal platforms, Vy would often cry. Not just from the cold. But from the weight of it all — the language barrier, the fear of failure, the isolation of navigating a world where no one looked like her or understood her pain.
Sometimes she sat alone at that train station long before dawn, terrified of being robbed, of being misunderstood, of being forgotten. But she never stopped going. Not once.
The Shy Girl Who Became a Pharmacist
In class, she sat quietly. She fumbled her words, misunderstood instructions, and often second-guessed herself. Some classmates were kind; others laughed. But her humility and persistence began to shine through. With the help of mentors, professors, friends, and a growing community of support, Vy began to rise.
While studying for her Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.), she worked 10 hours every weekend at Walgreens. There, under the mentorship of one of the store’s most respected pharmacists, she was trained in the legacy pharmacy system — the old-school, no-mouse, keyboard-driven world of fast-paced prescription entry. She learned to type with lightning speed, memorizing shortcuts, codes, and workflows. She became one of the fastest and most accurate pharmacy staff in the building — all while still in school.
By the time she graduated in 2010, she had already filled thousands of prescriptions, gained a deep understanding of pharmacy workflow, and mastered the art of serving with both precision and heart.
From Pharmacist to Founder and CEO
Today, Dr. Vy Truong is a licensed pharmacist in four states:
Massachusetts, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana.
She is the Founder and CEO of Kentucky Pharmacy, a beloved community-based pharmacy that does more than fill prescriptions — it fills the gap in healthcare access for underserved populations. Her days are long and relentless. She works 5 to 7 days a week, often filling 80 to 300+ prescriptions per day.
Over the past 15 years, she has filled between 312,000 to 1.6 million prescriptions, interacted personally with over 39,000 to 54,600 patients, and made thousands of calls to doctors on behalf of patients — especially those who cannot advocate for themselves due to language barriers or fear.
In some cases, she goes even further — personally delivering prescriptions, by hand, to the elderly, the homebound, and the struggling. She has walked prescriptions to doorsteps in the rain, in the heat, and sometimes through tears. Because for Vy, this is not a business. It’s a mission of love.
Preceptor, Mentor, Leader
Dr. Truong is not just a pharmacist. She’s a teacher and leader. She serves as a preceptor for both the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy and Sullivan University College of Pharmacy, guiding the next generation of pharmacists through real-world training, ethics, and the heart behind the science.
She teaches them that a true pharmacist isn’t just someone who dispenses medication — but someone who listens, understands, and advocates for every patient like they are family.
The Award-Winning Leader With the Heart of a Servant
In 2025, Dr. Vy Truong was honored with the JFCS Mosaic Award for Compassion, standing before a crowd of over 500 people, including her peers, mentors, and community leaders.
It was the largest Mosaic Awards ceremony ever held — and there she was: no longer the shy girl from the train station, but a mother of three sons, a CEO, and a living example to her family and community of what perseverance, compassion, and purpose can create.
She stood on that stage with pride, not just for herself, but for her three beautiful boys — Jayden, Skylar, and Dylan — who watched their mother shine. Her message was simple: “I did this, so you know you can too.”
And for all the girls, all the immigrants, all the students who feel behind because of their accent, their fear, their circumstances — Vy Truong stands for you.
Leadership Is Service
To Vy, leadership means giving 100% — every day — with love. It means making service the mission, the goal, and the purpose at all times. It means not waiting for others to step in, but being the first to act, the first to care, and the last to give up.
She is proof that broken English does not mean a broken future. That tears at a train station can still lead to triumph. That cold winters do not last forever — and that those who serve others with their whole heart will rise higher than they ever dreamed.
Dr. Vy Truong.
Pharmacist. Founder. CEO. Mentor. Mother.
Leader in compassion, resilience, and care.
