Young African man who started life as a cleaner in the United States grows to become a Neurosurgeon, achieves dream

Hoping to settle down before resuming school, Kwadwo followed advice from fellow immigrants who incorrectly told him he needed to establish himself in the tax system first. He took on multiple jobs, including working as a cashier at a retail store and a warehouse.

Determined to continue his education, Kwadwo started exploring nearby colleges. However, the advice he received from the immigrant community, which was not true, suggested that he should work for a while to establish himself in the tax system before attending school.

Six months later, he switched to a job as a cleaner at Northside Hospital Gwinnett. During this period, he began observing doctors and developed a passion for a medical career.

”“If a patient is discharged, you go clean the place, you clean the bathroom. Luckily for me after one year, I was transferred into the operating room Housekeeping. Meaning you go in and clean up when a case ends. I was still cleaning the bathrooms,” he said.

While working at the hospital, Kwadwo met a surgeon who significantly impacted his life: Dr. Robert Fritz, a General Thoracic Surgeon at Gwinnett Medical Center (now Northside Gwinnett Hospital). He said the surgeon was shocked to see a young boy of his age doing a cleaning job in the hospital.

During a conversation with Dr. Fritz, the surgeon inquired about Kwadwo’s future aspirations. Inspired by the “General and Thoracic Surgery” badge on Dr. Fritz’s coat, he expressed his desire to become a Thoracic Surgeon.

While balancing his cleaning job with his work at Walmart, Kwadwo received an offer from Dr. Fritz to work alongside him, observing and learning from his expertise. Dr. Fritz advised him to quit his cashier job to have more time and access to the hospital for a better learning experience.

“I was following him around and he started teaching me stuff. It exposed me to medicine and I decided to go to medical school.”|

Kwadwo stated that another situation that inspired him was his brother who had a mobility disability he never understood. He thought medicine could provide some answers. He enrolled in a community college where he gained knowledge of chemistry, physics, and biology because he had no such background.

Kwadwo continued his education at Emory University in Atlanta, earning a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology. He then pursued further medical studies at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where he obtained a Medical Certificate.

He continued his studies at Georgetown University School of Medicine where he obtained a Doctor of Medicine Qualification.

Kwadwo is currently a Neurosurgery Resident at Vanderbilt Medical Center in the United States.