“Receiving This Scholarship Is a Call to Be a Leader”

Above: Angelee Verdieu grew up in Boston as the daughter of Haitian immigrants. Becoming a Menino Scholar at BU changed her life—she just started medical school. Michael Dennehy, himself a Menino Scholar, serves as advisor to the students. He and Verdieu discuss the program’s impact.

Angelee Verdieu (Sargent’21, SPH’22, CAMED’29) had never seen her Haitian immigrant father cry—until she told him she’d received a full scholarship to Boston University through the Menino Scholarship program. Named for former Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino (Hon.’01), the program has covered tuition for more than 2,138 Boston Public Schools graduates, totaling $219 million.

A few years later, there would be more tears after her uncle died in a Haitian hospital—a preventable loss that inspired her to pursue medical school, focusing on immigrant and refugee care. Verdieu sat down with fellow Menino Scholar and program advisor Michael Dennehy (CAS’92, Wheelock’01) to reflect on how the scholarship shaped her purpose. Dennehy says, “It means a lot to help the next generation of Menino Scholars. The scholarship made my BU education possible and started me on my journey as a college access professional.”

MICHAEL DENNEHY: What motivated your decision to go on to medical school?

ANGELEE VERDIEU: So, both of my parents grew up in Haiti. They came here when they were about 17, 18 years old. And one of the things that they kind of honed in on for me and my brother as we were growing up was the importance of giving back to that community. And obviously, Haiti has faced a multitude of hardships. There was the 2010 earthquake. There’s things happening politically right now. And all throughout that time, I’ve watched my parents and other family members pull money together and send it over there. We had clothes that we packaged up and we would send over there.

The importance of giving back to the communities that raised you is something that has kind of been instilled in me over time. So, as I realized that medical school was an aspiration of mine, that’s one of the driving factors that keeps me going, knowing that my ultimate goal will give me the tools to succeed in giving back to that community.

How did earning a Menino Scholarship change your trajectory?

Getting the scholarship relieved a ton of that pressure. And I already knew that I wanted to go to medical school, so just thinking about all of the education that goes into that, being able to go to undergrad without having to worry about tuition was a really, really big deal. It gave me the space to feel safe enough to explore who I am and what I’m interested in.

What put a master’s degree on your radar?

In the summer before my sophomore year, my dad’s oldest brother passed away in Haiti, and the main cause of his death was the hospital didn’t have the necessary supplies to keep him alive, one of those things being oxygen. How do you run out of oxygen? But that is one of the things that Haiti struggles with.

I wanted to go to med school with a public health lens and have an understanding of the system and of other areas of the world, what they need. I’m very interested in immigrant care, refugee health, women, and children. I wanted to go to medical school having as much compassion as possible.

What are some issues that you want to tackle?

My grandparents live here, but they don’t speak English. My mom is the oldest daughter, so it’s become her responsibility to help my grandmother navigate the healthcare system. She’ll take her to all of her appointments and serve as an interpreter. One of the things that I’m interested in is learning how to speak Haitian Creole and being able to increase comfort in the care setting for Haitian patients and help people navigate the healthcare system in that way.

You mentioned a desire to focus your practice on women and children. Where is that rooted?

As a woman, I’m focused on the challenges that women have faced—and continue to face—and wanting to improve that. My focus is more on children than anything. That comes from loving to hang out with kids and always being older in certain spaces and having the trust of children naturally. I think it always just made sense to me that that’s what I was going to do with my life. And I used to be a summer camp counselor at the YMCA in Hyde Park, and I spent all day with these three-, four-, and five-year-olds who were a pain in the butt. But they were also great, and I loved hanging out with them.

Did the scholarship come with a sense of responsibility attached?

Growing up in Hyde Park, you know who Thomas Menino was and all the things that he did in the community. And then you have my dad, who really admired him, telling me his main priority was always the children in the community and being a good example and showing you this is how you care for your city, your community, whatever that means to you. So the thing that I was most concerned about was, how do I give back to my city?

As I’ve grown older, I think my sense of community has definitely evolved. Not only is Boston my community and giving back to Boston my main priority, but also Haiti is my community, and giving back to Haiti—and wherever else I come to call my community—is a priority of mine. That’s the kind of responsibility that I feel right now. How do I give back? What can I learn? How can I be of most service to the people who have built me up as I’ve continued my education?

“I wanted to go to medical school having as much compassion as possible.”—Angelee Verdieu

What’s kept you at BU for each part of your education?

BU has given me every single opportunity that I’ve had, and that keeps me coming back—a sense of service to the school as a thank-you for building me up into who I am.

Your brother is at BU, and he also came as a Menino Scholar. What’s it feel like to have him follow in your footsteps?

It’s kind of crazy to me that there’s a person out there who looks up to me to the point where they have done the same things that I have done. That feels very strange, because in my mind, I’m just the average Joe. He’s also so much smarter than me, and he’s so impressive. And I’m so proud of him.

How is all of this for your parents?

I think they’re just overwhelmed by how good things are. And I think they’re very grateful. When they came here, this was the hope, that they have kids and that their kids would be able to do more and better than they could, and that’s exactly what’s happening.