VCOM 2023 Annual Report

Ugo Kalu Awarded Scholarship to Attend VCOM-Carolinas

I don't know if he is going to get better, but I promise that I will care for him in the best way I can." A pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital in Atlanta spoke these words to Ugo Kalu’s family after her younger brother nearly drowned at summer camp. “As the eldest child of Nigerian immigrants, my parents instilled in me a sense of duty in caring and defending my younger siblings,” said Ugo. “My face beamed with pride when I was able to help my brothers with a hard math problem or help them defend their fort from the invisible monsters on the playground. But on this day, his condition was not a monster I could fight nor a problem I could solve.” The days soon turned to weeks at the Children's Hospital and Ugo found joy in her new role, being at her brother's side. She interacted with the nurses and watched the physicians with intensity as her curiosity in medicine grew. “His doctors took care of us along every step of the healing process and inspired me to pursue medicine.”

Ugo is well on her way to becoming a future physician. In July she began medical school at VCOM-Carolinas, where she will receive a $45,000 scholarship for four years. In exchange for the scholarship, Ugo agrees to practice primary medicine in South Carolina for a minimum of four years. “This scholarship means the world to me, and I am so grateful for this huge miracle. To be able to live out my dream of becoming a physician and not be loaded down with student loans is simply life changing. It just confirms that I am doing the right thing at the right time.” She is one of four VCOM-Carolinas students to receive this scholarship. The intent of these scholarships is to further expand access to physicians and improve healthcare in South Carolina by supporting VCOM-Carolinas’ efforts to recruit, retain and graduate minority medical students who will remain in South Carolina to practice primary care. “This scholarship means the world to me, and I am so grateful for this huge miracle. To be able to live out my dream of becoming a physician and not be loaded down with student loans is simply life changing. It just confirms that I am doing the right thing at the right time,” said Ugo. COVID-19 delayed Ugo’s application to medical school, but she worked as a personal care assistant and a pharmacy

technician where she noticed that some of her more high-risk patients were left without essential items like food and medication. To help combat

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