After growing up mostly in West Africa, Jeremiah Ham finished his last two years of high school at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, VA, to develop leadership skills and gain a deeper understanding of himself as an individual.

Ham thrived in the environment, and continued on his quest by earning an ROTC scholarship upon graduation that enabled him to attend any American university with an ROTC program. He chose Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions.

“ROTC is an amazing organization that gives you an immense amount of leadership skills, opportunities to lead people and also be a beacon of light for people who need it,” says Ham, a Health Services Administration senior with a Business Administration minor.

THE SOURCE OF HIS PASSION

The son of an official who worked for the Peace Corps and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in four West African nations, Hamʼs interest in healthcare and helping others was sparked at an early age by seeing conditions in orphanages in Cameroon and Zambia, where he played with the children. “I think Africa has played a tremendous role, not only in what Iʼm passionate about, but what my future entails.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF MENTORING

Ham was accepted into the year-long Macy Undergraduate Leadership Fellows Program, where he was paired with a mentor—Assistant Teaching Professor Merritt Brockman, DHA, FACHE—who is a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force, and previously served as a healthcare administrator.

“The mentoring aspect of the Macy program was very important to me,” Ham says. “Dr. Brockman has given me an immense amount of expertise and wisdom. Iʼm very appreciative to her for that.”