That's Dr. Marijuana Pepsi to you.
By Bernadette Giacomazzo — Written on Jun 27, 2019
Photo: getty
She's a woman with an unusual name who refused to change it, even though plenty of detractors warned her that she would never be hired. But she defied all expectations — and her detractors — and became a doctor in her own right. Who is Marijuana Pepsi?
Those in the professional realm will often remark that those with “unusual” names — that is to say, those that are not of WASP origin — will often be looked down upon in favor of their more “traditionally-named” counterparts.
However, a woman named Marijuana Pepsi has proven that not only does your name not define you, it should indeed be a source of pride — no matter how “unusual” it may be.
Here’s what we know about this remarkable woman.
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1. She first came into the spotlight when she got her master’s degree.
According to the Journal Sentinel, she first came into the spotlight after she’d received her master’s degree and subsequently began a teaching job in Beloit, Wisconsin, where she’d grown up. The outlet noted that despite her name suggesting a rather salacious side, she leads quite a low-key life: she’s married to a man she’d met through an online dating service and has a 16-year-old son, Isaac, from a previous marriage. They all live on a three-acre farms that includes pigs and chickens.
A woman named Marijuana Pepsi, who refused to change her name, earned her Ph.D after completing a dissertation on Black names https://t.co/gHT23cNJVT pic.twitter.com/O6JXtn7Awm
— Blavity News (@Blavity) June 19, 2019
Marijuana Pepsi Vandyck recently completed her doctoral degree.
2. Marijuana Pepsi Vandyck (formerly Jackson) went through a lot of bullying for her name as a child.
According to Vibe, the now 46-year-old doctor said that she went through a lot of bullying as a child because of her name.
“People make such a big deal out of it, I couldn't get away from it," she said of her given name. Growing up, Vandyck (neé Jackson), was teased by classmates, bosses, teachers and many others. However, her mother wanted to give her a name that would “take her around the world,” and she refused to shorten or change it,” the outlet writes, adding that as a result of her name, she met other people of African-American descent that also had “unusual” names, and that led her to eventually write her doctoral dissertation on the very subject.
Woman born with the name MARIJUANA PEPSI defies bullies and critics to become a doctor after earning her PhD https://t.co/m44Ph2nIDN
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) June 19, 2019
Marijuana Pepsi overcame a lot of bullying.
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3. She’s also an entrepreneur — and credits her mother with her success.
According to Syracuse.com, Marijuana Pepsi Vandyck is also a successful entrepreneur who credits her mother with her success.
“In addition to working at Beloit and in real estate, Vandyck also owns Action as Empowerment, a performance coaching business for people looking to change their lives. She and her husband Fredrick Vandyck, who’s in the welding business, recently moved to northern Illinois and live on a hobby farm 30 miles from Beloit,” the outlet writes.
Opens Twitter#DickPicAlternatives and " Marijuana Pepsi " are trending
Me: pic.twitter.com/58fPsnMESg— A tweep has no name (@MutungaDennis3) June 20, 2019
Some people obviously didn't know what to expect when "Marijuana Pepsi" began trending on Twitter.
4. Despite her success, Marijuana Pepsi doesn’t recommend people name their children after drug products.
According to The New York Post, even though Marijuana Pepsi doesn’t regret her name — she doesn’t allow anyone to call her by anything else except her given name — she strongly advises parents against naming their children after drug products.
“Even though she credits her mom with making her a strong, balanced, entrepreneurial woman, Vandyck advises against naming kids after weed. Her sisters have comparatively tame names, Kimberly and Robin. “I’ve grown into my name because I am a strong woman. I’ve had to be,” she said to the outlet.
Congratulations are in order to Dr. Marijuana Pepsi Vandyck!
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Marijuana Pepsi,46, has spent her entire life embracing the name her mother gave her
She refused to change the unusual name in a bid to prove to herself that overcoming obstacles is possible
Now, the mother-of-one is officially Dr Marijuana Pepsi after earning her PhD .@stritchu pic.twitter.com/mjUf0pwIa6— Parthiban Shanmugam (@hollywoodcurry) June 20, 2019
Marijuana Pepsi credits her mother with her success.
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Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more. She is also the author of The Uprising series. For more information about Bernadette Giacomazzo, click here.