Jerry John Nutor Elected as GSA President
August 23, 2016
Jerry John Nutor, ’18, a PhD Nursing Student, was recently elected President of Drexel’s Graduate Student Association, after previously holding the position of Vice President of Academic Affairs. Not only is Nutor taking on more responsibilities here on campus, but he is also currently working in Zambia as part of Drexel’s Dornsife Global Development Scholars program. Nutor has made a conscious effort to stay committed to his affiliated organizations at Drexel, and make a difference overseas.
Nutor trained to become a registered nurse in Ghana before arriving in the United States in 2013 to attend University of California, Davis. After successfully completing their Masters in Nursing and Healthcare Leadership Program in June 2015, he came to Philadelphia to begin a PhD program at Drexel. Wasting no time getting acquainting to a new environment, Nutor immediately involved himself in a plethora of campus activities and organizations. “Immediately when I came to Drexel there was an opportunity to run for the position of Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs in the Graduate Student Association,” said Nutor. “Being on the Chancellor’s Graduate and Professional Student Advisory board at UC Davis, I decided to take advantage of that opportunity, because I love working with students and also fell in love with leading a student organization.”
After applying, Nutor was offered the position and continued serving for the next two terms. During those two terms however, Nutor also saw an opportunity to run for the presidency, a position that he won and is currently holding. “As the new president of the Graduate Student Association, I am very excited and hopeful for the future,” said Nutor.
Nutor has made it very clear that there is one major aspect of the organization that he would like to work on above all else: communication. “I certainly want to improve graduate students’ experiences in communicating and connecting with each other, professors, and advisors,” said Nutor. “It is my hope that by the time I finish my presidency with the Graduate Student Association, we will be able to say that we’ve changed communication for the better, and everyone has more opportunities to collaborate in class and on research projects.”
Nutor is also adamant about improving the Graduate Student Association’s communication with undergraduates. Considering himself to be a “product of good mentoring,” he feels as though it is crucial for graduate students to take on a more active role in grooming the undergraduate students who have interest in graduate school. “Graduate students can act as sort of big brothers and sisters to undergraduate students, so that they have someone they can talk to and get help and advice from that has been through similar experiences as them,” said Nutor.
Along with his duties as President of the Graduate Student Association, Nutor has also made time to give back to the continent of Africa. Through the Dornsife Global Development Scholars program, Nutor was able to intern with World Vision, and was assigned to work in Zambia. Nutor has been spending his summer with World Vision promoting healthy lifestyles and habits to pregnant women, mothers, and children in Zambia, and considers the work extremely gratifying. “I’ve been educating them about good nutrition and the benefits of breastfeeding, how to prevent Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV/AIDs, as well as the preventions of mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS,” said Nutor. “I have also educated them on the prevention of Malaria which is a major problem in that part of the country.”
Nutor has aspirations of continuing the fine work he has done overseas, and has no intentions of slowing down even when he’s completed his work at Drexel. “After completing the PhD program, I look forward to working with professors and other stakeholders that are interested in doing research in sub-Saharan Africa,” said Nutor. “I think that one of the greatest things I can do for the African continent is give back in terms of doing research and joining hundreds of people who are doing great things trying to impact the continent. I look forward to being mentored by them, and moving into the future with them to leave an impact on my generation.”
By Jacob Cushing ‘19