Dr Marijuana Pepsi Vandyck | |
|---|---|
| Born | Marijuana Pepsi Jackson 1972 (age 51–52)[1] |
| Education | University of Wisconsin–Whitewater Cardinal Stritch University |
| Occupation | Educator |
| Years active | 1994- |
| Employer | Beloit College |
| Known for | Sociological study of uncommon black names in the classroom |
| Spouse(s) | Sawyer (div) Fredrick Vandyck (m. 2017) |
| Children | 4 including 3 stepchildren |
| Parent(s) | Maggie and Aaron Jackson |
Marijuana Pepsi Vandyck (née Jackson) is an American educational professional. Vandyck earned her Ph.D. from Cardinal Stritch University in 2019 with a dissertation on uncommon black names in the classroom.[3][4]
Marijuana Pepsi Jackson was born in 1972 to Aaron and Maggie (Brandy) Jackson, who chose her name. She lived in Chicago, Illinois until she was nine years old; then she moved to Beloit, Wisconsin to live with her mother after her parents separated.[1][2] She has two sisters, Kimberly and Robin.[2] She first realized her name was unusual at age nine.[5]
She said her mother told her "your name will take you around the world", and that her mother insisted on correcting a school spelling bee award certificate that read "Mary Jackson".[5] She described being bullied in high school over her name, crediting her family with helping her learn to embrace the name.[5]
She moved out of her mother's house at age 15, staying with friends and focusing on school. She graduated from Beloit Memorial High School in 1990 and received a scholarship for college at University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. She majored in education and became a teacher after graduation. While she was teaching elementary school in Atlanta, she studied for a masters degree at Georgia Southern, then returned to Beloit with her young son from her first marriage.[1]
Vandyck earned her bachelor's degree from University of Wisconsin–Whitewater.[1] After two semesters and a summer, she earned her master's degree from Georgia Southern University,[1] before earning her Ph.D. in Leadership for the Advancement of Learning and Service in Higher Education from Cardinal Stritch University in May 2019.[2] Her dissertation, titled "Black names in white classrooms: Teacher behaviors and student perceptions,"[3][4] was inspired by prejudice she saw while working as a teacher. A co-worker had complained that her upcoming class would do poorly, based on the list of students with mostly "black-sounding" names.[5][6]
Having previously worked as a teacher, Vandyck currently directs a program for first-generation, disabled and low-income students at Beloit College, in addition to owning a Performance Coaching Agency.[2][6]
In the fall of 2019, Vandyck sponsored the Marijuana Pepsi Scholarship for first-generation African-American students at UW–Whitewater.[2]
Vandyck was previously married to a Mr. Sawyer. The couple lived in Atlanta and had a son in the early 2000s. Their marriage ended in divorce and Vandyck returned to her hometown of Beloit, Wisconsin.[1]
As of 2019, Vandyck is married to Fredrick Vandyck. They live on a 3-acre (1.2 ha) farm in Pecatonica, Illinois, with her son and his three children from a previous relationship.[2]