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The Hoosier community is indebted to the numerous health workers who have stepped into the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic. IU McKinney School of Law is particularly proud of the work of one of its international Master of Laws (LL.M.) students, Ajoke Aderayo Yussuf, who answered the call during the peak of the pandemic despite studying law full time in a second language.

In October 2020, during her first semester of study for the LL.M. in American Law for Foreign Lawyers, Yussuf began working with the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH). “My passion for humanitarian service inspired me to apply,” she said.

Yussuf began as a case investigator at ISDH, where she worked with Hoosiers who tested positive for COVID-19. Her work involves educating patients about the virus and how to safely isolate themselves. She also carried out contact tracing where necessary.

How did this all begin? Behind her self-sacrificial service to the Hoosier community lies her Legal English professor’s “comfort-zone challenge,” an assignment that emboldened Yussuf to take a leap of faith by working on the frontlines when the pandemic was raging. The comfort-zone challenge was facilitated by Catherine “Cathy” Beck, IUPUI Senior Lecturer Emerita and Legal English Instructor for IU McKinney. Aside from her commitment to humanitarian service, Yussuf said Beck’s comfort-zone challenge prompted her to take the job.

“I believed that job would be very beneficial to me because I would be rendering humanitarian service and at the same time improving my communication skills with native English speakers,” Yussuf said.

A licensed attorney in Nigeria, Yussuf derives a sense of fulfillment from her risk-fraught work. “Providing such service gave me the opportunity to assist in the control of the COVID-19 spread in Indiana,” she said. Humanitarian endeavors are not new to her. While studying law at Lagos State University, Yussuf formed an NGO, the Rhay Educational Initiative, to support teenagers with scholarships and mentoring programs for academic success. Her group enrolled students in entrepreneurial programs. Yussuf also volunteered with the Citizen Mediation Center of the Lagos State’s Ministry of Justice where she honed her skills in arbitration, civil law, and criminal law.

Vaccine availability in January 2021 changed Yussuf’s focus with ISDH. “My job role expanded to assist Hoosiers that need help scheduling their vaccination appointments, ensuring that Hoosiers get the vaccination sites closest to their proximity, and schedule a most convenient date,” she said. “I am glad to be a part of the vaccination process, helping as much as I can and providing my service to the Indiana community.”