Woman named Marijuana Pepsi becomes a doctor

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Paging Dr. Marijuana Pepsi...

A former Wisconsin woman named Marijuana Pepsi Vandyck has earned a doctorate degree, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. She received a PhD in higher education leadership from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee after handing in her final dissertation on “Black names in white classrooms: Teacher behaviors and student perceptions.”

The New York Post reports Vandyck, 46, was legally named Marijuana Pepsi by her mother and dealt with a lifetime of being teased about it. She refused to be shamed for her name, rejecting “Mary” as a nickname, though she did use the initials “MP” while working as a real estate agent to prevent weed fans from stealing her signs.

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“I’m going to be called Dr. Marijuana Pepsi," she promised.

The mother-of-one also credited her mother Maggie Johnson, who chose the unusual name, with making her a strong and balanced woman. Johnson proudly posed for a photo with her daughter at her graduation ceremony last month.

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