July 15, 2025
After growing up at Pearl River Community College, Jennifer Rawls Beach initially looked for her college experience at a big university. By the end of her freshman year, she gladly returned to The River, where she gained the strong foundation needed for her career as a pharmacist.
Beach spent most of her formative years at Pearl River as both of her parents worked on campus. Her father, Archie Rawls, was the band director before becoming the director of the Fine Arts department. Her mother, Frances Rawls, ran the bookstore. She developed strong relationships with the Fine Arts faculty and the bookstore staff from years of hanging out with her parents on campus.
“These people were like family,” said Beach. “When I got married, the bookstore ladies did the catering. Mike Bass and Mark Malone played at the wedding. They were my biggest cheerleaders who wanted to see me succeed.”
Beach’s decision to go straight to the University of Mississippi was influenced in part by the academic scholarships she was awarded. During her freshman years, however, she felt overwhelmed and disconnected from the campus community.
“I thought, ‘I don’t want to miss out on these scholarship opportunities for four years’,” said Beach. “I got there, and it was a lot. I felt like I was missing out on things I had grown up seeing. I didn’t try out for anything. Instead, I went to school and focused on academics.”
Returning to PRCC for her sophomore year, Beach felt more at home in familiar surroundings. She appreciated the smaller class sizes, which allowed you more access to the instructors. And, she quickly became active with the Baptist Student Union, Concert Band (clarinet), Show Choir, and the String of Pearls.
Dr. Kyle Hill first met Beach when he joined the faculty in 1992, working as the assistant director of bands with Archie Rawls.
“I had the privilege to watch Jennifer grow and excel through high school and into her time at PRCC,” said Hill. “She has always been a person with a kind heart and willing to help people when they need it. It’s wonderful to see her flourish as an adult with both her career and family.”
Dr. Henry R. Setze, Instructor of Physics and Mathematics, stood out among her instructors. Beach remembers being flabbergasted to receive the Student Award for Physics.
“To this day, I won’t understand why I received it,” said Beach. “I think he just saw potential in me and wouldn’t let me fail.”
After PRCC, Beach completed her Bachelor of Science degree in biology at William Carey University, receiving generous transfer scholarships that allowed her to graduate debt-free. Beach returned to PRCC, working as a recruiter and cheer coach for a year while she applied for pharmacy school.
In 2004, she began pharmacy school at the University of Mississippi, spending two years in Oxford and one year in Jackson. Upon graduation in 2008, she worked for Forrest General Hospital for five years. She started as a floater pharmacist before moving to clinical pharmacy with a short stint as director of operations.
“Nobody prepares you to be the boss of people who are way older than you and have many more years of experience,” said Beach. “Nobody prepares you to be the leader that you are immediately when you step foot in the pharmacy.”
For the past decade, Beach has worked as a pharmacist at Sumrall Drug Store. Beach also serves as a preceptor for pharmacy students from the University of Mississippi and William Carey University.
Beach highly recommends PRCC for anyone starting their college career, especially if they want a smaller campus and more opportunities to connect with faculty, staff, and students.
“I would enthusiastically recommend Pearl River,” said Beach. “It provided a great foundation and help me to gain the confidence in myself that I needed to complete my academic journey.”
She and her husband, Lanny Beach, call Petal home where they are raising their daughters, Halli and Kate. They are active members of a Venture Church in Hattiesburg, with her husband serving as house church pastor on Wednesday nights. The couple also owns and operates Sparta Strength and Conditioning in Petal, focusing on functional fitness, where Beach teaches classes.
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Article by Laura O’Neill.
