Class of 2023: Vanessa Ajeh from Nigeria was inspired to pursue neonatal medicine after a life-shaping experience

Amy Wolf
On the day Vanessa Ajeh was born in a Nigerian hospital, she and her mother nearly died due to the hospital’s lack of advanced medical resources and staff training.

A daunting start to her life has made Ajeh, a double major in medicine, health, social studies and Spanish, a touchstone for making a difference in her community and pursuing a future career in neonatal medicine.

“Having that experience, I’ve always felt attached to the opportunity to be able to give second chances to mothers, babies and families when they thought they didn’t have one.

Her parents gave her two middle names. Miracle in English and Ndidi Amaka in Igbo. This means “patience is the key”. she becomes a doctor

“My own identity as a black woman and as a black African woman makes me want to reassure mothers and children that there are disparities in success rates when it comes to child labor and childbirth.

connect through language

Ajeh and her family traveled frequently throughout the United States during her childhood exposure to different cultures and languages. This interaction ignited her desire to learn Spanish and Arabic so that she could better form personal connections with future patients.

“Learning a language and taking a wide variety of classes in medicine, health and society is about putting people first and learning about all the real issues that arise in healthcare regarding race and different identity-based issues. It represents my inner values,” said Atget.

embrace her culture

Although my life at home was steeped in Nigerian culture, my adolescence was spent socializing with peers in a predominantly white high school, so I was able to keep my Nigerian heritage to a minimum until I came to Vanderbilt. It happened often, said Ajeh.

“It all started with Harumbee, a showcase of African culture that takes place each year at Vanderbilt with traditional African dances, traditional food and clothing. It reminded me of what I was thinking,” she said.

That enthusiasm evolved into Atget, who leads Vanderbilt’s African Students’ Union.

“As President of the African Students Union, I have sought to promote unity as Africa is a continent of 54 countries. It’s very difficult to make everyone feel like we’re an organization that can do it.This year we’ve tried to foster community connections in a fun atmosphere,” she said.

Ajeh also found a special mentor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center to help her embrace her culture and future career.

“I’m chasing someone who has exactly the same identity and goals as I do, a Nigerian woman taking care of a newborn,” she said. Given, the road to medicine is very tough and can be demoralizing at times, but she did it so I can do it.

Ajeh is also the leader of the Minority Association of Non-Medical Students and the Multicultural Leadership Council.

“Being able to attend a school like Vanderbilt, which attracts so many diverse students and people not only from the country but from all over the world, my passion is not just learning languages, but learning other I realized it extended to learning the culture as well,” she said. she said.

“Rudely me”

Ajeh’s campus community introduced her to the spoken language and helped her express herself through poetry.

“I was able to develop language and language as a tool to share my feelings and thoughts. I also understood that everyone, especially at Vanderbilt, has their own way of showing their passion and intelligence. And I feel developing poetry is an opportunity to do that as well,” she said.

Ajeh is proud of who she is and the woman she is becoming.

“I love who I am today because I don’t think I’ve ever lost sight of who I want to be or how I want to influence those around me. I feel perfectly me.” she said.

“Even though there are parts of me that aren’t commonly accepted, I embrace and love them. And once I’m able to have ideas and goals, that confidence flows into other aspects of my life and makes me feel better.” I appreciate the small aspects of my personality that are unique to

family sacrifice

Ajeh credits a mother who sacrificed herself by leaving a large family behind in Nigeria to help her children.

“My mother was born and raised in Nigeria, so coming here as an adult was a burden, both culturally and financially,” said Atje. “I think it’s very rewarding for her to see her hard work pay off. I know there are

3 questions…

How have you evolved during your time at Vanderbilt?

“I feel like I have evolved in a very personal way. found a passion.”

How can interaction on Vanderbilt help me?

“I think it helps me really cultivate the value of group work. It also allows me to work with people who are very different from me and who may not have the same background or values ​​as me. So why do you think so?”

Saying goodbye to the Vanderbilt community?

“Be open to the ups and downs of the human experience, because where you end up is exactly where you should be.”