By Katie Stacy
Public relations

Cuban native Thomas Diaz graduates May 20 with a different upbringing from many of his S.C. College of Pharmacy peers.

Diaz, who was raised in the small town of Colon, Cuba, made his first trip to the United States at 18 and has not gone back in the 11 years that he has lived here. "I'm not planning to go back until the political system changes," he said.

Dr. Thomas Diaz

Diaz, who graduates with a doctorate in pharmacy, likes the freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the free press, free assembly and free association that Americans are given. "Cuba is really restricted and really controlled. Growing up in Cuba, you had to grow up really fast. When I'm here I can appreciate everything I have. I can see everything I can do, and I can see everything that the United States can provide to Cubans," he said.

Cuba hasn't always been so restrictive. Diaz was taught by his grandfather what the country was like before communism. His grandfather told him how great the country was before all of the change. Diaz said his grandfather is one of his personal heroes for taking that risk of talking about the government to him as a little boy. His grandfather also taught him how to hunt and fish.

Diaz's mother is another hero for being strong and supportive. She said she worried about his reluctance in following the regime. In his required year in the army, Diaz said it was one of the most difficult years of his life. The regime had total control and if you spoke against the government, you were thrown in jail.

One of the first things students were congratulated for in medical school was being supportive of the government. Many people questioned Diaz and asked how he could be a Cuban doctor and not support the government.

Diaz had to adapt to a new way of life with his move to the U.S. He said a lot of research was involved in figuring out how the American systems work, in particular how to do taxes. Another struggle was learning English, which he found easiest by just talking to people "Getting used to a system was tough just because I didn't understand it in the beginning. I appreciated it, but it was so different when you are used to being so controlled and all of a sudden you have all of this freedom."

After leaving Cuba, Diaz moved to Miami and went to Miami Dade College for his undergraduate degree. In Cuba he had taken a semester of medical school and knew he wanted to be involved in health care. After doing some research, he decided he wanted to go to pharmacy school because of his love of chemistry. He applied to five schools but he says after his visit at MUSC, he knew that's where he wanted to go.

"When I came for my interview, I got that feeling that I fit here. I liked the town, and the people here were so great that after that it was not a tough decision at all."

Diaz said there are many differences in education in Cuba and in the United States. He said that Cuban education is good because they follow a European style and the literal translation of high school is pre-university. About 80 percent of Diaz' graduating class went on to college. The one thing Diaz says he missed is the siesta break, which is about a two hour period for lunch and a nap.

One of the biggest problems with the Cuban education system is people are unable to enter the areas that they've trained in because of a lack of jobs in that field. An example Diaz shared was about his mother, who graduated from engineering school, but in the middle of her career got transferred to hotel management. She had to do it to be able to support her family.

After graduation, he will move to Florence for a job in Nuclear Pharmacy and work on his board certification.
He said if he were to move back to Cuba, he would face many challenges as a pharmacist. He recalls as a child going to the pharmacy and there only being three or four medications available. Diaz said that there is no job opportunity in nuclear pharmacy, and no specializations as there are in the United States.

Diaz plans on staying in the U. S., but he plans to keep his cultural roots. He says he does miss his family, the Cuban food and the salsa dancing the most.