302 SHARES Share Tweet

Marijuana Pepsi Vandyck recently graduated from Wisconsin’s Cardinal Stritch University with a Ph.D. in Leadership for the Advancement of Learning and Service in Higher Education. Vandyck mission was show the world that although she had a unique name she could still be an success in life.

Vandyck told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “People make such a big deal out of it, I couldn’t get away from it.”

Marijuana Pepsi is the scholar’s maiden name and Vandyck was added when she got married in 2017. The 46-year-old grew up between Chicago, Illinois, and Beloit, Wisconsin said in the past she used to question why her mother gave her such an odd name (her sisters are named Kimberly and Robin).

“It makes it difficult sometimes,” Vandyck previously told TODAY.

Vandyck currently lives on a farm with her family and runs a performance coaching company. Additionally she has started an annual scholarship award for Black students enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

However, her life hasn’t always been smooth Vandyck says she was often teased growing up and dreaded when teachers would call her name during roll call.

“Every single class, the teacher is taking attendance out loud, and as they slowly get down through the J’s, I’m just like here it comes. ‘Marianna? Marijuana?’ And all the students turn to see who it is,” she recalled.

Vandyck used these real life occurrences in her thesis on “Black names in white classrooms: Teacher behaviors and student perceptions.”

In her dissertation she spoke with other Black students who had unique names and allowed them to open up about those moments when teachers wouldn’t be able to correctly pronounce their names or pause during roll call.

Now Dr. Marijuana Pepsi is proud to be called by her name. “I’ve grown into my name because I am a strong woman,” she told TODAY. “I’ve had to be.”

Read more:

Community meeting concerning Phoenix police handling of Black family gets heated

Copyright ©2019 The Black Detour All Rights Reserved.