Alden’s Grad Session | Rutgers Senior Photographer

July 13, 2025

GRADS

Not many people can say they’ve placed in a national competition- not once, but twice. But I’ve had the incredible privilege of doing just that… and both times, with Dr. Alden Ordaniel.

Like almost everyone else I’ve met in pharmacy school, we first met over Zoom- I was a PP2, and he was a P1. What started as a few nerdy financial conversations quickly turned into one of the most rewarding collaborations of pharmacy school. For three years, we poured so much time, energy, and passion into competition seasons- strategizing late into the night, triple-checking spreadsheets, fine-tuning every detail until it was just right.

There were the long phone calls, the late-night FaceTime calls, the holiday weekends spent cramming with pages and pages of numbers, and the occasional moments where we sat and wondered “how are we going to finish”. And when the pressure started to build, Alden would quietly step away, only to come back with a bowl of ice cream and that same steady energy he brings to everything he does.

But Alden wasn’t just a brilliant competition partner- he is the kind of friend who always checked in on you, and the kind of person who always offered to help.

This was one of the first graduation sessions I planned this season, and it was a long time coming. In true Alden + Tiff fashion, of course the weather had other plans- starting with drizzling rain, then turning into a full-on downpour halfway through. But also in true Alden + Tiff fashion, we made it work. We ran outside the moment the skies cleared, then returned indoors as soon as the rain came back. We laughed and we improvised, and we enjoyed every moment of this final project we got to work on together.

Alden, thank you for trusting me with your grad photos and for all the unforgettable years of teamwork and friendship. I’m so proud of everything you have accomplished, and I can’t wait to see where your PhD journey takes you next.

A favorite!

Holding our winning submissions 😊

We took these right before it started to rain!

When Alden said he wanted to do a photo while opening the doors… this was not what I had imagined (and I purposely edited this photo to be more dramatic)

The rain stopped for a few minutes, so we ran back outdoors to take photos while the sun was out!

Alden suggested we take a photo here—and the moment we arrived, the wind kicked up (my lens cap went flying into a puddle 😅), and the rain started all over again. We managed to sneak in just one shot before it got too wild, and I think it was totally worth it!