• About
    • About Bennett
    • Accreditations
    • Administration
    • Board of Trustees
    • History
    • Institutional Advancement
    • Office of the President
    • Parents’ Association
    • Steele Hall Gallery
    • Visiting Bennett
    • Women’s Business Center of Greensboro
  • Admissions
    • How to Apply
    • New Student Checklist
    • Financial Aid
    • Tuition and Fees
    • FAFSA
    • F.A.Q.
    • Schedule Campus Tour
    • Office of Admissions
    • Student Employment
  • Academics
    • Academic Calendars
    • Academic Programs
    • Canvas
    • Center for Global Studies
    • Course Catalogs
    • The Middle College at Bennett
    • Entrepreneurial Studies
    • Faculty Directory
    • Holgate Library
    • Registration
    • Success and Retention
    • Transcript Request
    • Student Achievement
  • Students
    • Campus Safety
    • Canvas
    • Career Services
    • Counseling Services
    • Office of Accessibility Services
    • Religious Life
    • Residential Life
  • Alumnae
    • Alumnae News
    • May 2022
    • Alumnae Profiles
    • Give to Bennett College
  • Give
(336) 517-2100
Contact Us
Directory
BelleNet    Campus Map
Bennett College
  • About
    • About Bennett
    • Accreditations
    • Administration
    • Board of Trustees
    • History
    • Institutional Advancement
    • Office of the President
    • Parents’ Association
    • Steele Hall Gallery
    • Visiting Bennett
    • Women’s Business Center of Greensboro
  • Admissions
    • How to Apply
    • New Student Checklist
    • Financial Aid
    • Tuition and Fees
    • FAFSA
    • F.A.Q.
    • Schedule Campus Tour
    • Office of Admissions
    • Student Employment
  • Academics
    • Academic Calendars
    • Academic Programs
    • Canvas
    • Center for Global Studies
    • Course Catalogs
    • The Middle College at Bennett
    • Entrepreneurial Studies
    • Faculty Directory
    • Holgate Library
    • Registration
    • Success and Retention
    • Transcript Request
    • Student Achievement
  • Students
    • Campus Safety
    • Canvas
    • Career Services
    • Counseling Services
    • Office of Accessibility Services
    • Religious Life
    • Residential Life
  • Alumnae
    • Alumnae News
    • May 2022
    • Alumnae Profiles
    • Give to Bennett College
  • Give

Bennett Inside

Home Bennett Inside Belle Delivers a Baby in West Africa

Belle Delivers a Baby in West Africa

  • Posted by Bennett College
  • Categories Bennett Inside
  • Date January 31, 2019

Summer Program Teaches Unexpected Lesson

Bennett College senior math and biology major Qaleelah Smith ’19 assumed her summer would be exciting. What she didn’t count on was delivering a baby!

Smith and Bennett senior Aravia Patterson ’19, a biology and Africana Women’s Studies major from Columbia, S.C., spent three weeks over the summer in The Gambia in West Africa through Drexel University’s Global Health Maternal Child Health Program.

On Aug. 14, they arrived at the Tanji Clinic with other students and shadowed in the labor ward. Neither had a clue of what was in store.

“There was a woman who’d been in labor for six hours, and she continued being in labor for the next four or five hours,” Smith explained. “The nurse instructed that we induce labor by giving her Pitocin.”

Fifteen minutes after the medicine was administered, the baby’s head started emerging. The midwife sat down, told Smith to put on some gloves and began giving instructions.

“I was happy she had the confidence in me to do it, but then I was nervous because I didn’t want to cause any harm to the mother or the baby,” Smith recalled. After the baby was born, Smith dried her off as she’d been taught by Dr. Yanick Vibert, an attending neonatologist at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children and Hahnemann University Hospital, both in Philadelphia. Vibert is an assistant professor of pediatrics at Drexel University College of Medicine.

“Qaleelah was motivated, driven, flexible and willing to ‘lean into areas of discomfort’ to fully experience a new country and immerse herself in a new culture without preconceived judgments…” Vibert said. “She was following the midwife that morning at the Health Center, helped the mother feel comfortable while she was pushing and was respectful and humble throughout the entire experience.”

Born in Fort Hood, Texas, Smith graduated as valedictorian in 2013 from The School for International Studies in Brooklyn, N.Y. She’s glad to be a Belle. “The sisterhood here is really nice and people are welcoming,” Smith said. “I enjoy Bennett most because of the opportunities I’ve had like going abroad and doing research…”

Smith traveled with Bennett President Dr. Phyllis Worthy Dawkins and classmates to Seoul, South Korea, in 2017.

“Qaleelah has demonstrated extremely high levels of intellectual curiosity, independence and self-motivation since I’ve known her,” said Dr. Althea Truesdale, dean of the Division for Student Success and Retention.

  • Share:
Bennett College

Previous post

Wells Fargo donates $50,000 to Bennett College
January 31, 2019

Next post

Dr. Dawkins to be on Chicago's WVON 1690AM on Friday
January 31, 2019

You may also like

tyler-c-binion
Belle Participates in White House Initiative on HBCUs
24 January, 2019
jasmine-harrison-115-to-1
From 115 to 1: Jasmine Harrison is Glad She Chose Bennett!
17 January, 2019
ophelia-murray-jordan-brand
Ophelia Murray Is Soaring During Summer Internship at Nike’s World Headquarters
29 June, 2018

Access Menu

25About Bennett
Accreditations
Alma Mater
1Bennett College Parents’ Association
BPA News
Board of Trustees
By-Laws
9Committees of the Board of Trustees
Academic Affairs Committee
1Audit and Assessment Committee
Campus Buildings
Compensation Committee
Executive Committee
Finance Committee
Governance Committee
Institutional Advancement Committee
Investments Committee
Student Affairs Committee
Meeting Notices
Trustee Secure Site
College Policies
History
3Martin Dixon Intergenerational Center
General Information
Stepping Up Program
The Program
Strategic Plan
3Visiting Bennett
Map
Parking and Traffic
Schedule Campus Tour
18Administration
2Administrative Services
2Human Resources
Employee Handbook
Employment Opportunities
9Division of Business and Finance
7Controller’s Office
Accounts Payable
Business and Auxiliary Services
Cashier’s Office
Contracts and Grants Accounting/Purchasing
Default Loan Management
Payroll Services
1Student Accounts
Student Refunds
Dining Services
Facilities Management
2Information Technology
IT Helpdesk Support
Telecommunications Services
2Institutional Advancement
Communications
Meet the Staff
2Institutional Planning, Assessment, Effectiveness, and Research
Social Work Program Assessment Data
Student Achievement
1Office of the President
Annual Report
13Admissions
New Student Checklist
6Financial Aid
Aid Eligibility
Important Documents
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Scholarships
Student Consumer Information
Types of Financial Aid
Student Employment
F.A.Q.
FAFSA
Tuition and Fees
Schedule Campus Tour
Office of Admissions
20Academics
Academic Calendars
2Academic Programs
1Division of Professional Studies
Curriculum and Instruction Program
Division of Arts and Sciences
5Center for Global Studies
Her-Story Abroad
International Students
Resources
Study Abroad
Visa Information
Course Catalogs
4Division for Student Success and Retention
1Academic Advising
First Year Student Advising Process (Course Selection)
Emerging Scholars Program
Meet our Staff
Tutoring Services
Faculty Directory
Holgate Library
4Registration
FERPA Information
For Faculty and Staff
Registration Forms
Registration Policies
Transcript Request
24Student Experience
10Campus Services
6Campus Safety
Campus Safety Tips
Crime Log
Motor Vehicle Regulations
NC Sex Offender Registry
Safety and Crime Prevention Programs
Student Responsibilities
1Career Services
Career Services Ambassadors
Counseling Services
1Office of Accessibility Services
Title IX
Holgate Library
3Offices & Resources
Community Service
Mail Center
Student Handbook
8Religious Life
About Us
ACES At A Glance
ACES: Faith, Culture and Tradition
A Word In Season
Campus Ministries Highlights
Chaplain Greetings
Pillowcase Dress Project
Sew Simple! Haitian Dress Project
1Residential Life
Residence Hall Information
1Student Activities
ACES Calendar
Student Complaint Form
5Alumnae
Alumnae News
Alumnae Profiles
Benefits and Services
Giving
Publications

bc-logo-sticky-white

(336) 517-2100

Contact Us Online

900 E. Washington St, Greensboro, NC 27401

About

  • About Bennett College
  • Office of the President
  • Board of Trustees
  • Accreditations
  • Visiting Bennett

Admissions

  • Admissions
  • F.A.Q.
  • Financial Aid
  • Student Consumer Information

Academics

  • Academic Programs
  • Registration
  • Academic Calendars
  • Course Catalogs
  • Transcript Request
  • Public Disclosure Statement

Student Life

  • Student Experience
  • Campus Services
  • Residential Life
  • Campus Safety

Portals

  • Belle Connect
  • BelleNet
  • Canvas
  • Webmail

Services

  • BelleAlert
  • Campus Facilities
  • Dining Services
  • IT Helpdesk Support

© 2023 Bennett College. All Rights Reserved.

  • Privacy Statement / Terms of Use

Ready To Join the Sisterhood?

Join thousands of women who have changed the world!

Get Started Now