Transcript:
00:05 [Natalie Kuldell – NK] Hi Susana!
00:06 [Susana Donkor – SD] Hi Natalie!
00:08 [NK] Welcome, I’m so happy you’re here.
00:10 [SD] Thanks for having me!
00:11 [NK] It really makes me – it’s such a joy to see you and to reconnect with you. Maybe we can just start, since I am lucky enough to know you but not everyone on the line knows you already, maybe you can introduce yourself, you know, your name, where you are as a student, and what you’re studying maybe.
00:31 [SD] All right my name is Susana Donkor, if you guys ever want to search me up, I am a senior at Simmons University majoring in biochemistry with a minor in studio arts on the pre-med track. Aside from academics, I work in admissions in the – sorry I’m like blanking on what I do – I’m a tour guide, but I’m also a fellow so that means I interview students and I do info sessions all the time, currently serving as the vice president for the Commuter Student Organization, and I’m currently a mentor for first year Boston Scholars at my school, so yeah!
01:15 [NK] Very busy, lots of things I want to ask you about! Boy, so maybe we’ll start with your job – your admissions work – and your mentoring work and things like that, and then we’ll back up into the science and the pre-med and how you got there, if that makes some sense. So what do you like about your job in the admissions office? What do you find interesting about it?
01:42 [SD] Actually, admissions I started last year just as a tour guide and what happened was my scholarship advisor came up to me and was like “oh you should become a fellow” and then they’re like “wait you’re too young to become a fellow! How about you try doing tour guiding?” I’m like “sure” and I interviewed and they’re like “why should you be a tour guide?” I was like “well, I think I can talk up the school, but also I think like Simmons needs diversity to be a face because, if you’re going on a tour and you don’t really see anyone that looks like you or anyone who represents what you stand for, it could be a little off-putting in the situation because you wouldn’t feel welcome in that environment, and I totally understand that especially being a woman of color in STEM – first generation immigrant women of color in STEM. So I think it was just really important for me to show incoming students that ‘hey like I’m here, you can do it too, as long as you put your mind into it.’” So then jumping into being a fellow, I really like that aspect more because I actually get to talk to students on a personal level and interview them. I don’t know what my fellow peers do, but my interviews are really informal and laid back and I always tell students you can email me outside of the whole interview thing. Like I’ve offered to read students essays, provide them with scholarships, connect them with other students and the intended major because obviously I want everyone to succeed, but fun fact Simmons is a women-centered college, so it’s technically one-ed but we do have a few trans people and people who identify not as women, so but still! Yeah women empowerment at my school, so it’s really lovely.
03:37 [NK] Is that some of what attracted you there? I mean I think what you touched on is exactly right, that to see you know a woman of color especially a first gen to go to school, you are telling people in more ways than you probably know that they are welcome and accepted and can succeed, right. But is that what attracted you to Simmons – as a place that you could be your best self? Or did you see other people like you that gave you confidence that you would succeed there?
04:10 [SD] So funny story. I applied to Simmons very last minute, my guidance counselor was like “hey Simmons has a scholarship you should apply to.” And I was like “okay.” So I went into the interview and they’re like “why do you want to go to Simmons?” And if we’re being honest, I didn’t know much about Simmons except it was women-centered, and I had to sit there and think and I was like “I kind of like being in an environment where I’m not into competition with other people and it’s really about making you become a leader.” Because at the school, we actually do practice real world experiences in the classroom, and they let us know that “hey, it doesn’t matter what environment, you’re able to take charge, and it really doesn’t matter if you identify as a man, or a woman, or non-binary; it’s just if you know who you are and you know your strengths, then you can really apply them.” And it’s in a mission statement to raise leaders, it’s just who we are and I really appreciate that. Because I think our generation is just full of like natural-born leaders who are outspoken and are willing to just go the extra mile to prove their point.
05:22 [NK] Yeah, well I would definitely put you in that characterization of going the extra mile for sure. You, in my experience working with you, have always gone above and beyond and done it joyfully and from intrinsic curiosity and motivation which has been great. So that gives me a sense of how you’re doing there just in terms of your overall social and sort of leadership side of your growth and development as a college student, what about your major? Tell me about: how did you decide on your major? How are you liking it?
06:06 [SD] So there’s always a story with me. So I actually got accepted into Simmons in the neuroscience department, and then I went to an open house and there was a student there – she’s in medical school now – she was pre-med. She was like “hey I’m pre-med!” I’m like “oh my god, like how are you doing?” She was also a black woman who was there, so I was like you know what this makes sense for me to talk to you. She was like “yeah being a biochem major just allows you to like finish your prereqs fast without having to worry.” So at the time, my uncle was like “why don’t you switch to biochem?” And I was like “okay.” But the thing about college is your first two years, you’re kind of you don’t have decided major; you can flip flop anywhere you go. So I was actually flopping around between biology and biochem, and then I realized that I’m not much of a biology person per se, I like the chemistry behind it. I don’t like the memorization of things; I like applying the knowledge, which is probably why I had fun in BioBuilders because it wasn’t about memorizing any body parts, but it’s about applying synthetics to biology and how to improve the life of living things, so yeah! Now I’m just having fun, I’m actually, like for senior year we actually have to do my thesis. So I’m actually working in the physics department for my research project basically trying to figure out how to use ultrasound to measure intracranial pressure in patients who have a high pressure in their brain due to injury or diseases and stuff like that.
07:53 [NK] Susanna, you are fearless. I think that’s amazing, how wonderful! And it definitely sounds like you’ve landed on the right mixture. Being able to apply what you learn is very much the motivator for a lot of students. It really can be hard when you’re learning a lot of content and you just keep wondering “why exactly do I need to know all this?” So I definitely think – especially with your interest in pre-med and I know before we started, you were mentioning that you’re studying for your MCAT, so good luck with all that! Yes, the application to medical school for you. You will be a wonderful, wonderful doctor someday, no doubt about it. So I got to know you through BioBuilder through our apprenticeship program, maybe you can tell me, what do you remember about the apprenticeship? When did you do it?
08:51 [SD] I did it in 2017. So I remember I applied around January or February, got you guys got back to me pretty early – like two weeks later – and the program was basically from I think the end of March to the middle of April because I remember it ended around my last day of high school. And we came on Tuesdays and Thursdays and then Saturday mornings. And on Tuesdays and Thursdays, we would just learn the basics of biology, and molar, and moles, and quantity, and conversion and yeah and that was the first half. And then the second half was spent on developing ideas that we wanted to create for our project around synthetic biology and we always had people there, like resources besides Natalie because there’s only so much that we can do to spread it from so many students. So we did have other people there, I remember we had two college students there and higher up individuals, I can’t remember their roles. And then Saturdays were when we learned how to do lab techniques, like a lot of techniques that you learn in college is really what I didn’t realize I was doing. Because, fun fact, I went into my first three years of college, and I already knew how to do everything and it was always funny to me when the professor was like “yeah, you know, I know no one has experience doing this,” and I was like “actually, I’ve done this so many times!” It’s funny at that point. And at the end, I actually do remember my project because I still have it with me and I just passed my picture yesterday that my mom took me presenting. And me and my friends presented on water cans – like saving water consumption and strawberries. Yeah!
10:46 [NK] I remember that project; it was a great project! And it’s so amazing to me that years later you still remember it, right like having meaningful and lasting education is exactly what BioBuilder is trying to do. And so just to hear you talk about that just fills my heart. So that’s really lovely, thank you for just being the sort of realization of what we are trying to do.
11:16 [SD] I mean the project is basically what you do at work, because I’ve done it at all my internships, which have been through BioBuilder. You guys would be surprised what happens if you just stay in touch with Natalie because Natalie is just amazing. But I used what I did in BioBuilders – besides the science techniques – but the teamwork, and skills, and the ideas, and the presenting skills, and the pitching, I use in college. I used it to do a grant proposal for my – they had to do an imaginary grant proposal, but did it for grant proposals, done in the internships, I’m technically doing it now for my thesis, I do it for projects all the time. It’s really applicable! So I would say take advantage of that because once again when you go into college or if you guys want to go into college or whatever field you want to go into after graduating high school, you’re going to use this in real world situations. Like you have to learn how to work with others; you have to learn how to develop ideas, so yeah.
12:26 [NK] I couldn’t have said it better! I think that’s exactly what we’re trying to do, it’s sort of the kind of education that I wish I had had when I was in high school and so yeah just trying to make sure that more people have access to meaningful skills that people will use. Because I don’t think advanced science – you can have advanced science at any age! I think the skills that you’re learning will carry you through and carry you through to really a great career and great meaningful work going forward, including college for you and then it looks like professional school. And roping more people into it which is awesome. So let’s see, you’ve sort of touched on it, but we have folks watching who might want to follow in your path. Is there anything that you wish you knew? Or wish that you had done or thought about that you know now?
13:23 [SD] I think one of my flaws is staying in touch. It might be surprising, but I’m very very bad at staying in touch. And one thing I realized is as students, especially if you don’t have a lot of knowledge coming into the real world and the science field and anything, you might think that it’s your grades that matter, and I think that’s a very toxic mindset to have because your grades don’t determine you. Sorry to say that standardized tests are meant to weed out the underprivileged, and you don’t have all the resources to pass standardized tests, I will say it’s always about who you know. And that’s one thing that all my professors, my classmates, other people in the field have said, it’s about who you know. So it’s I would say make sure you build meaningful connections and you sustain the bridges that you built because they’re gonna help you. You don’t think it’s gonna help you, but always come back to help you. I have a mentor myself; I have two. One of them was just helping me through college and she’s a researcher at Mass General Hospital in the neurology department and I’m going to start applying to jobs – full-time jobs for one year during my gap year – and she’s like “yeah if you just let me know, I can put you in with my manager and maybe get you started.” So it’s literally just about who you know, not even – like your grades do matter, because as long as you have an upward incline because I know that’s probably what people don’t tell you, but it’s just about having an upward incline. It’s about who you know, how you can conduct yourself, because if you’re confident in what you talk about then you can always flip the situation in your favor. Resources, always connect with others if you feel like you need help, connect with your professors, connect with your guidance, counselors connect with your boss. I do also work outside of school; I work at REI if anyone knows what that is – the outdoor camping store. The bosses are my favorite people. Yeah I think that’s pretty much it. Friends and family support, that will really help you. Especially now, it’s very depressing because of covid.
15:49 [NK] It is a really hard time. I could not agree more strongly with your advice. I continue to rely on people that I connected to early in my career and along the way. You just that sort of community you build around you, you just never know where you’re going to land or what you’re going to be doing and by having those sort of friendly, long standing connections to people that you sort of pick up along the way, you can turn to them for advice and questions and really they are incredibly helpful and I totally agree. And Susana, I really feel like one thing that the apprenticeship program tries to do is work with students who may not feel like they have a network like that and bring them into a community that is networked and that you build sort of social capital through the apprenticeship program and through BioBuilder. So I am very grateful that we are connected that way and that I can continue to sort of admire the trajectory that you are on because it is astonishing. Anyway, well that I think is a wonderful sort of Career Conversation with you. I appreciate all your honesty and all the advice and insight that you’ve offered to the students who are on the line.