They say that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
And for one mother-daughter duo, that statement couldn’t have been more true.
Cynthia Kudji decided that she wanted to be a doctor at an early age, but her dream was held up due to her getting pregnant at age 23.
Cynthia gave birth to her daughter Jasmine and decided that working as a nurse would have to do for the time being.
It allowed her to stay within the medical field and kept her mind focused on her dream of becoming a doctor one day.
After working as a nurse for over a decade and raising Jasmine to have a passion for medicine as well, Cynthia and her daughter were ready to start the next phase of their life–medical school.
Finally, Cynthia had a chance to fulfill her dream and Jasmine decide that becoming a doctor was what she wanted to do as well.
The problem was that they’d be going to different schools.
According to Inspire More, “Jasmine attended LSU School of Medicine in Louisiana, while Cynthia studied at the University of Medicine and Health Sciences in St. Kitts, finishing her degree at the Maine campus.”
This would be the first time that the mother and daughter pair would be separated by this much space and for this long of a time.
Jasmine told UMHS, “I think initially it was difficult because my mom and I have always been really close so I had to get used to the distance, we had to learn how to FaceTime and Skype each other, so we were Skyping each other every day and whenever I had struggles and she had struggles, we just had to learn to communicate from a distance, but I think over time we figured it out.”
And figure it out they did because, in April, the two finished their programs at the same time and graduated from their respective schools–Cynthia with an M.D. in Family Medicine and Jasmine with an M.D. in General Surgery.
There’s no doubt that going through this journey together was helpful to them both.
“I always tell people we laugh together, we study together, we cry together,” Jasmine told UMHS. “I think medical school is one of those experiences that you don’t truly understand until you’re in it. Sometimes people struggle to find someone who relates to their struggles, so for that person to be my mom was extremely helpful.”
But their story doesn’t end there.
After so much time apart and so much hard work, the mother-daughter pair found out that they’d both be going to LSU Health to complete their residency!
They found this out on Match Day which is the day when medical school graduates learn which hospitals accepted their residency and fellowship applications.
This makes Cynthia and Jasmine the first mother-daughter pair to graduate from medical school together as well as match at the same hospital.
Their story is an inspiration to all of us.
It’s a reminder that no matter what stands in your way, you are always capable of accomplishing your dream.
It just takes a lot of hard work, some determination, and, of course, plenty of support from the ones that you love.
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