HFC alumnus who “paid it forward” earns Excellence and Great Achievement Award

Leaders Advancing and Helping Communities, a Dearborn-based non-profit organization, will bestow the 2018 Excellence and Great Achievement Award to HFC alumnus Dr. Adel Makki at the LAHC 30th Annual Awards Gala Thursday, April 19, at the Edward Hotel in Dearborn.

Makki, of Dearborn Heights, is a pharmacist for the Long Term Care Pharmacy in Farmington Hills. He also owns two community pharmacies and recently set up a scholarship fund for aspiring pharmacists.

“I am very honored to receive this award,” said Makki. “I am a firm believer in helping those in need. This must be a conscious priority. I live by a ‘pay it forward’ philosophy to help students achieve their educational goals. We must invest in our students, because they will be the source of prosperity in our communities.”

Dearborn roots run deep

Originally from Lebanon, Makki’s family immigrated to the United States and settled in Dearborn when he was just 2 weeks old. Makki graduated from Fordson High School and attended HFC on a partial scholarship.

“I was a lifelong student of the Dearborn Public Schools. I felt HFC was an extension of that,” said Makki. “As a transition between high school and university, I was happy with the quality of my HFC education. It was very affordable and allowed me to self-finance my education, balancing a part-time job with a full-time education.”

Makki earned more than 100 credits at HFC, then transferred to the University of Michigan-Dearborn, earning his bachelor’s degree in business management in 2001. Makki later attended Ferris State University in Big Rapids, earning high honors and graduating with his doctorate in pharmacy in 2005.

“To me, HFC was more like a university than a community college,” said Makki. “There was the diversity of the student body. The faculty included world-renowned educators and top experts in their fields. The extensive course offerings made it feel like a large school, but the personal attention and small classrooms made my education very personable.”

Makki started in pre-pharmacy his first year at HFC. He then ventured into business classes. His passion remained in the sciences, which motivated him to enroll in pharmacy school at FSU.

Paying it forward

“Being a pharmacist has allowed me to pursue my academic passion while making a difference as a professional,” he said. “After going to UM-Dearborn and completing doctoral studies at FSU, I look back upon HFC and I realize I received the same quality level of instruction that I did at the other schools. In fact, I graduated from pharmacy school at the top of my class. HFC contributed a great deal to that because its science curriculum prepared me for the rigors of pharmacy school.”

Makki recently created a $1.2 million endowment at FSU called the Dr. Adel A. Makki Scholarship Endowment. This endowment has helped countless students from his community attend pharmacy school at FSU. Prior to establishing this endowment, Makki had established a $100,000 scholarship for students, working closely with Dr. Stephen Durst, Dean of the College of Pharmacy at FSU. The university had established a campaign that it would match dollar for dollar for anyone who established an endowment.

“As a grateful recipient of multiple scholarships during my days at FSU, I had always promised myself that I would one day go back and pay it forward," said Makki. "My involvement with the university and the wonderful Dr. Durst evolved into this philanthropic opportunity."

Over the years, Makki has received many letters of gratitude from the students who have been awarded his scholarship, and his response is always the same: He reminds them he was not born successful. He worked hard, and had help from people who believed in him. Today, he is the one who helps students get their start. He reminds them to “pay it forward” when they complete their educational journey, so other students can carry on the legacy.