Dr. Daniel K. Podolsky (right) joins (from left) Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice and UT Southwestern students Jared Morphew, Luwan Ghidei, Ifeatu Okafor, and Syed Muntajibuddin at the Martin Luther King Jr. event on campus.

By Lin Lofley

Luwan Ghidei, a fourth-year UT Southwestern Medical School student from Dallas, has won the 2015 Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship for Community Service, recognizing her for extensive volunteering that began during her undergraduate years at Boston University and has continued at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

The award was presented on Jan. 14 during campus events marking the birthday of the slain civil rights leader.

Also honored were three MLK Scholarship finalists – fourth-year medical students Jared Morphew and Syed Muntajibuddin, and second-year Physician Assistant Studies student Ifeatu Okafor of the UT Southwestern School of Health Professions.

Ms. Ghidei, who graduated from Lake Highlands High School, has chosen Obstetrics and Gynecology as her specialty and is eagerly awaiting Match Day, March 20, to find out where her training will continue.

“I am so honored to receive this award,” Ms. Ghidei said. “I have been inspired the last three years by winners of the MLK Scholarship. Now, to follow in their footsteps, is very humbling. They have made me proud to be a part of UT Southwestern. As I move into the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology I look forward also to advocating for women.”

As a new Boston University student, she learned that she was studying at the school where Dr. King had earned his doctorate. That inspired her to delve into the Martin Luther King Jr. archives at the school, in addition to earning a degree in human physiology.

While an undergrad, Ms. Ghidei participated in a research project studying HIV/AIDS, and she led a team of students that helped increase the number of minority students at Boston University.

Since arriving at UT Southwestern, she has been a mentor, tutor, and counselor in the Health Professions Recruitment and Exposure Program, the academically challenging enrichment program that offers minority and underrepresented high school students a glimpse of education and career opportunities in health care professions.

She also served in the leadership of the Student National Medical Association and – her proudest accomplishment – as clinic manager at a pair of homeless shelters, where Ms. Ghidei and her student colleagues won a grant to initiate electronic recordkeeping for the clientele.

The other 2015 MLK finalists have also made important strides in aiding underserved communities:

• Mr. Morphew, a Texarkana resident, earned an undergraduate degree in Biology at the University of Arkansas. He worked alongside Ms. Ghidei at homeless shelters and is planning a career in family medicine.
• Mr. Muntajibuddin, a Fort Worth resident, graduated from UT Arlington with a degree in biology. His most memorable opportunity was organizing a tornado relief effort in 2012 to help citizens of the North Texas town of Forney. He is planning a career in pediatrics.
• Ms. Okafor, a Houston resident, graduated from Texas Tech University with degrees in biology and exercise science. A shot putter on the track team, she was named the 2013 NCAA Woman of the Year. While at Tech, Ms. Okafor regularly volunteered with Special Olympics, the local YWCA, a nearby hospital, and a local food bank. She also tutored her fellow student athletes.