Hilda Hutcherson on her nickname
Hilda Hutcherson speaks about her nickname, "Mama Hutch"
Transcript
At the time that I started at Columbia unfortunately the medical school had a kind of a bad reputation as the White Castle on the hill and black and brown students need not apply. And it took traveling the country talking to young people and their parents sometimes about what a wonderful place Colombia was and ensuring them or assuring them that if they came to Columbia that I would look out for them, that I would make sure that they received everything that they needed to be successful and to graduate and become physicians.
And that led to my nickname among the students as "Mama Hutch."
(Hetty: Yes oh I hear that all the time)
They knew that they could come to my office they could get a hug, they would get reassurance that if they needed any support that I would do everything that I could to get the support for them. And that changed the reputation so that students knew that they could come to Columbia and get the support that they needed and have a really wonderful experience. I'm most proud I think of of that accomplishment.
And that led to my nickname among the students as "Mama Hutch."
(Hetty: Yes oh I hear that all the time)
They knew that they could come to my office they could get a hug, they would get reassurance that if they needed any support that I would do everything that I could to get the support for them. And that changed the reputation so that students knew that they could come to Columbia and get the support that they needed and have a really wonderful experience. I'm most proud I think of of that accomplishment.