Top 10 Graduate
Nicole Anyanwu, C'2026, Salutatorian
Nicole Ezinne Ezenwanyi Anyanwu, C'2026
Nicole Ezinne Ezenwanyi Anyanwu, C'2026, a senior biology major with a minor in Spanish, has been dedicated to the premedical track since she first saw the movie Ben Carson: Gifted Hands at the age of five.
She is originally from Beltsville, Maryland, by way of Imo State, Nigeria. At Spelman, Nicole has been recognized as a Dovey Johnson Roundtree Presidential Scholar, a UNCF STEM Scholar, and an HCOPPP Scholar. She has served as Event Coordinator and Vice President of the Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students (MAPS), President of the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), and Co-Chair of the Dance Troupe for the African Student Association. Nicole is a proud member of Sisters Keeping It Real Through Service, a dedicated Chemistry Learning Center Tutor, and remains deeply engaged in service, intellectual bravery, and making an impact throughout her time at Spelman.
In 2023, Nicole was selected for the Spelman-Vanderbilt School of Medicine Pathways Program. She has since presented research twice at Spelman Research Day and delivered four oral presentations at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. In 2024, she received the Lou DeFelice Travel Award from Vanderbilt School of Medicine to present a poster at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students. In 2025, her research on Parkinson’s Disease was published in the Journal of Parkinsonism and Related Disorders, and her previous work on AI-assisted glomerular segmentation received funding from the Department of Defense.
Off campus, she has worked as a math, Spanish, and science tutor and regularly volunteers in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Grady Memorial Hospital. But Nicole’s greatest joy this year has been becoming a Fall 2025 initiate of the “Sweet” Mu Pi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. She will forever be indebted to her twenty pearls.
Looking ahead, Nicole will pursue her Doctor of Medicine as a member of the incoming Class of 2030, with a particular interest in surgical specialties.