This mother-daughter duo just made history by graduating from medical school at the same time and matching at the same hospital.
Cynthia Kudji and her daughter, Dr. Jasmine Kudji, were delighted to learn during Match Day last month that they will both be working at LSU Health in Louisiana – Cynthia in Family Medicine and Jasmine in General Surgery.
Having studied medicine apart for years, it was especially thrilling for the duo. While Cynthia attended the University of Medicine and Health Sciences in St. Kitts and Maine, Jasmine attended the LSU School of Medicine in Louisiana.
On July 1, 2020, they will be together once more, living their lifelong dream of becoming doctors! Cynthia and Jasmine made history by attending medical school simultaneously and matching at the same institution.
As a 23-year-old student from Ghana, West Africa, Cynthia became pregnant with Jasmine. Cynthia had to give up her dreams of becoming a doctor as she was about to have a child. Before attending medical school, she worked as a registered nurse and nurse practitioner for almost a decade.
It wasn’t always her plan to become a doctor. There were very few African American physicians on television when she was a little girl.
Cynthia recalled watching TV shows like “The Cosby Show” and “A Different World” when she was young. It was a first to see African Americans in college or succeeding. For me, it wasn’t like ‘Oh, yes, I want to become a physician’. The feeling was more like, ‘Oh, no, can I really do this?’ Aren’t I smart enough to do it? ”””
Cynthia came to the United States at the age of two, and it was during a trip back to Africa that she realized what she wanted to do with her life. While she was in the village with her mom, someone approached them to ask for help. Her child had a fever and was ill. Cynthia recalled doing everything she could to bring the child’s temperature down. In the end, she asked her mom how the kid fared, and she replied, “I don’t think the child did very well.”
Cynthia felt frustrated even at a young age that her mom had to seek health care from a stranger. In her opinion, the only way to change the situation was to become a physician.
She chose UMHS after researching many schools.
Being an older student, I felt I needed support and a program that would cater to me. I was really attracted to the small class sizes,” she said.
Cynthia faced many challenges as a non-traditional student. She had a hard time absorbing all the information she was getting since she hadn’t been in school for a while. As an older person, she also has responsibilities. As a mother, she had to be present whenever her daughter needed anything, no matter how busy she was.
Jasmine also had to overcome difficulties of her own, especially since she lives so far away from her mother, who’s also her best friend.
“It was initially hard because my mom and I have always been close, so I learned how to FaceTime and Skype each other, so we were Skyping every day, and whenever I had struggles or she had struggles, we just had to learn to communicate from a distance,” Jasmine explained. Over time, I think we figured it out.”
Cynthia and Jasmine were able to keep their bond strong because of technology. Both are eager to embark on a new chapter in their careers after years apart.
“We laugh together, we study together, we cry together,” Jasmine said. It’s one of those experiences you don’t really understand until you’re in it. People often find it difficult to find someone who can relate to their struggles, so having my mom as that person was extremely helpful.”
Watch Dr. Cynthia Kudji and Dr. Jasmine Kudji’s story below and congratulate them:
source : mypositiveoutlooks.com
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