Leading with Trust and Being a Bridge
Meet Nhyira
Class of 2019 CDI Scholar
University of Richmond Class of 2023
Wake Forest University School of Medicine Class of 2028
At the age of four, I started working at my grandmother’s storefront in Ghana to help bring in money. Three years later, my family moved to the U.S. for a better life. It was not easy for our large family and by the time I was nine I was making frequent trips to the hospital to see my mom who had cancer. I learned later that, as an immigrant, she didn’t know much about the healthcare system which likely stoked her fears about her diagnosis. She also distrusted her surgeons and refused treatment. My mom passed away at the age of 39. This had a profound impact on my worldview. It made me passionate about various trust-related issues in healthcare and the resulting disparities. It pushed me to value trust as the center of the doctor-patient relationship and inspired me to extend myself and be of service to vulnerable populations that may have lost their trust in healthcare. It shaped my drive to be there for someone else’s mom in their time of need, to be a bridge of support for someone else.
When I learned about CDI at school, I didn’t know much about colleges outside of Maryland or anything about financial aid. CDI really helped ground me in the necessary information and discipline required for me to stronger and more confident in what you can do. CDI equalizes a lot of things that would otherwise have set folks apart from opportunity. It’s a privilege to be a CDI alumna and I am very grateful for the experience and will continue to pay it forward!
The summer programming helped shape my mindset for the college-going experience; connecting me to college tours was invaluable in helping me discern which careers weren’t for me; and the individualized counseling served as the inspiration I needed to stay on track to achieve my goals. To this day my counselor’s advice to “get things done early” and “ask for help when needed,” serves me well in life. I think CDI is a lot of people’s only hope to get into college. The staff truly care and the support they give is unmatched. The unique component of following us through to the end is so important. The role that CDI plays as a connector and not making you feel displaced from your own family is key, especially for those of us who have family at home who didn’t go away. It’s wonderful to know that there are people outside of family in my corner, that truly see me and care about me not just my end goals.
If there was a CDI for everybody that would be amazing. I wouldn’t be in medical school right now without CDI. It really helps you achieve what you haven’t even dreamed of for yourself. I didn’t see far for myself. I didn’t even know what was possible. CDI stands in the gap for you, providing guidance and support along the way and with each step you get thrive in my college search process. At the time, I had other priorities. I worked since I was 15 due to having a large family with limited income. CDI helped expand my universe of understanding what the full complement of my options were and how to access them.
