Victor Chukwueke, a Nigerian immigrant, arrived in America at the age of fifteen in 2001 when doctors in his home country were unable to treat his disfiguring facial tumors. Victor, diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis, was determined to make the most of the new opportunities America granted him.
Victor completed his GED, enrolled in a community college and eventually graduated from Wayne State University with a GPA of 3.82 in his studies in biochemistry and chemical biology while simultaneously undergoing medical and surgical treatment for his tumors.
It’s fair to say that, just this blog’s author, Victor’s experiences as a patient changed his life and he vowed to become a physician so that he could one day have the same influence in the lives of patients that his doctors had in his. Only one thing stood between Victor Chukwueke and his dream of attending medical school: citizenship.
In a miraculous turn of events, a Michigan congressman, Sen. Carl Levin, took interest in Victor’s inspiring story and introduced a private bill into congress to grant Victor American citizenship. Represented pro bono by attorney Thomas K. Ragland, the bill passed congress and was eventually signed into effect by President Obama, making future MD, Victor Chukwueke, eligible to attend an Ohio medical school.
For further reading:
Obama Signs Into Effect Bill Granting Victor Chukwueke Citizenship
The Other Side of The Knife 