Harvard (US): David Velasquez never dreamt that hailing from a family of asylum seekers struggling hard to make both ends meet in US, he would ever be able to make to a place called Harvard. However, he not only went to Harvard, but also stayed there for seven long years when he worked hard and became the first person in history to achieve MBA, MD and MPP degrees from Harvard.
Velasquez's parents migrated from Nicaragua in war-torn Central America. He was the first of his family to go to college. He recalls how his mother, father and brothers gave all the support needed to make his present achievement. A proud son, he dedicates his degrees to his mother, who earned them livelihood by serving as a housekeeper and a waitress.
"Velasquez was not satisfied with a single Harvard degree, or even two — he took a break between his third and fourth years at HMS to earn a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and one in business administration from Harvard Business School. The dual degrees, he said, are tools to extend his medical career beyond the clinic into policy and business with the aim of reforming a healthcare system too often inaccessible to those on society’s fringes," said The Harvard Gazette.
A humble Velasquez credits his family members to all that he has achieved. In a post on X, he said, "These are my brothers. My oldest (far left) brother raised me when my parents worked multiple jobs. My older (second to the left) brother pushed me on the track & helped me become a better version of myself. My little brother (far right) taught me how to be a big brother--the best gift. No part of younger me would have ever imagined that us four boys, who lived in a family shelter home in 2001 & a tiny studio motel in 2009, would make it to a place like@Harvard. You guys gave me the opportunity to pursue higher education when each of you went to work right after high school. Thank you."
David Velasquez acknowledges the greater role played by his mother in motivating him to aim at greater heights. "This is my mom. She was an asylum seeker. She slept in a church b/c she had nowhere else to go. She is a housekeeper & a waitress. She is my hero. These degrees are for her. Harvard Medical School, M.D., Harvard Business School, M.B.A., Harvard Kennedy School of Government, M.P.P. You made history happen, mom," he said in a series of posts on X.
He also recalled the struggles his father faced to raise his children. "This is my dad. He was shot twice fighting for democracy in his home country, Nicaragua. He lost his brother in battle. His calloused hands remind me of the manual labor he worked to make sure I could focus on school. He transports elderly patients to their doctors' appointments. He is a warrior. You kept us strong, dad," he said.
Finally, a beaming Velasquez signed off, saying "I am a product of my mom, dad, brothers, friends, and mentors. To them, I owe everything. Signing off for the first time ever as, Dr. David Velasquez, MD, MBA, MPP."
For Velasquez, addressing the challenges of poverty and homelessness in healthcare became a passion and in 2019, immediately after hearing about an event, he went to help in convening a working group on homelessness among patient population at the Massachusetts General Hospital.
In the late 1970s, Velasquez's family was in Nicaragua where his father joined the struggle against the autocratic and dictatorial regime of the Somoza family. His father later joined armed revolution the Sandinista government as well. The war ended with the 1990 election of Violeta Chamorro but Velasquez's father left Nicaragua for his own safety. He met Velasquez's mother in Mexico and they later came to the US. Their asylum was granted after eight years.
Upon arrival in the US, the Velasquez's family lived in an East Los Angeles church for one year. that welcomed undocumented immigrants. Velasquez was born after that time, but his parents still struggled financially, limited by elementary school educations to low-paying jobs. Velasquez remembers how he along with his parents and three brothers lived in a motel, how his father used to stand outside a depot seeking a day's work and how his mother used to work constantly cleaning people’s homes.
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