01 Jun HERStory: Anuli Isichei
Meet Anuli – founder of Get A.H.E.A.D. nonprofit helping at-risk youth. Check out Anuli’s story here:
“I am a Nigerian American, and I was born and raised in NY. I mention this because my heritage had a strong influence on the way I was brought up. Growing up, my parents took us to Nigeria frequently to visit our grandparents and extended family. My grandparents were all in healthcare; both of my grandmothers were nurses, my maternal grandfather was a surgeon, and my paternal grandfather ran a leprosy clinic. Furthermore, my maternal grandparents owned a hospital in Nigeria, which I visited on many occasions. These trips had a profound impact on my life and my future career choices. I am a nurse by background, and early on in my career, I realized that nurses have a unique position in the healthcare ecosystem as we work cross functionally to provide optimal care. Additionally, we act as educators, advocates, and community liaisons. I decided early on to utilize each of those skills to have a greater impact on those that I serve. I now work as a social and community impact leader, building and managing strategic partnerships that create opportunities for social and economic advancement.
Growing up, my parents really stressed the value of getting a good education and helping those in need. These values really instilled a passion in me to help people; it is part of the reason why I studied nursing and public health as an undergraduate and public policy as a graduate student. Growing up, I watched both of my grandmothers, who were also nurses, tirelessly serve their patients and communities. In our culture, while women are known to be very strong and industrious- they are also very marginalized; it is for this reason my maternal grandmother established a non-profit that provides microloans and educational opportunities to young women and orphans in our village. As a young lady, watching her empower women and youth with essential life skills and the economic opportunities to have more agency over their futures left an indelible impression on me. Like my late grandmother, I have leveraged my skills to drive meaningful impact not just in the healthcare space but through education, strategic partnerships, and community engagement.
Get A.H.E.A.D. was a global health initiative that I co-founded with one of my closest friends, who is also a nurse. The initiative partnered with local and international hospitals, schools, churches, and elected officials to bring targeted health education to at-risk youth. We started Get A.H.E.A.D. during our first year working as bedside nurses in a hospital that primarily served marginalized patients. We had a 25-year-old patient die from diabetes complications; that tragic loss served as a catalyst for us to start the initiative.
My hopes for the future center around empowering women and those that are disadvantaged to actualize their potential and tap into their greatness. I look forward to opportunities to help organizations and governments to create impactful programs and do this on a large scale.
The advice I’d give other women is to support other women! It’s so important that we champion and encourage one another. Throughout my life, I have benefitted from women (and men) who have mentioned my name in rooms that I am not in, mentored me, encouraged me, prayed for me, and supported me. I would not be where I am today, without all of these things. We truly are our sister’s keeper.
I’d love to connect with other women on this platform and see how we can meaningfully collaborate!”
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