Susana Donkor is a senior at Simmons University majoring in biochemistry on the pre-med track. In addition to being a mentor to some students, she is also involved with admissions at the school. Now she is working on her senior thesis using ultrasound to measure intracranial pressure in brain-injured patients.
On December 4, 2020, we had a discussion about Susana’s experiences at Simmons being a first-gen, woman of color in STEM. She reflects on one of the main reasons she chose the school was for the empowerful environment that teaches students to be leaders. She also talks about her participation in BioBuilder’s apprenticeship program which equipped her with hard- and soft skills that she still uses many years later. She advises students to not worry as much about their grades, but rather building a social network with anyone from professors, peers, or bosses.