๐๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฃ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ช๐๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐๐ญ๐ฅ๐ก๐ค๐ง๐๐จ ๐๐๐๐, ๐ง๐ค๐๐ ๐๐ฉ๐จ, ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐ ๐ข๐ค๐ฃ๐ฉ๐-๐ก๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐จ๐ช๐ข๐ข๐๐ง ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐ช๐ง๐
Eleven-year-old Sana Donaldson is showing that curiosity, creativity, and leadership have no age limits.
Fresh from the๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ป๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ป๐๐๐ถ๐๐๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ต๐ป๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ด๐ (๐ก๐๐๐ง) in downtown Newark, Sana shared her excitement about STEM, her hands-on experiments, and her upcoming transition to Soehl Middle School. The month-long program, which concluded on August 7, is designed to inspire young girls to explore science, technology, engineering, and mathematicsโfields where women have historically been underrepresented.
๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง: ๐๐จ๐๐ค๐๐ญ๐ฌ, ๐๐ข๐ญ๐๐ฌ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ซ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ
Sana participated in a variety of projects, from building rockets and kites to designing a hot air balloon using everyday materials. โI didnโt know I could make them fly so far or design them myself. It felt amazing when it worked!โ she said.
Her favorite project was the rocket, complete with a parachute that successfully deployed during launches. โEvery time we launched it, it looked like magic! And when it finally worked, it was such a victory,โ she added. Sana also highlighted the collaborative spirit of the program: โThe other girls were really smart, and when they didnโt know something, they asked for help instead of staying quiet. It was different from school sometimes, because there we usually ask another student.โ
๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐๐งโ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ฌ
Accompanied by her proud father, Sana walked Superintendent Dr. Atiya Perkins and School No. 5 Principal Rachelle Crawley through her projects at the Linden districtโs administrative offices. With a bright smile and boundless enthusiasm, she explained her designs, calculations, and experiments, detailing how drag, lift, and flight performance affected the planes she had engineered.
โI didnโt know I could make them fly so far or design them myself. It felt amazing when it worked!โ she said, her eyes lighting up as she demonstrated the principles in action.
Dr. Perkins, impressed by Sanaโs clarity and curiosity, remarked, โWatching her articulate the science behind her workโlinking theory to hands-on experimentationโwas inspiring. Sheโs not just building paper planes; sheโs building confidence, leadership, and a love for learning.โ
Principal Crawley added, โSana embodies the qualities we hope to nurture in all our students: curiosity, resilience, and a love for learning. Her passion for STEM is contagious, and her approach to problem-solving demonstrates a maturity beyond her years.โ
๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ
Sana describes herself as having a โleadership personalityโ and a willingness to learn from those with more experience. โSometimes I like to take charge, but if I see someone knows more than me, I just sit back and learn,โ she said. Beyond STEM, she is already considering environmental law as a potential career path, showing a broad curiosity for making a positive impact.
๐๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ก๐๐๐
As she prepares for middle school, Sana remains focused on growth, learning, and leadership. โI loved the program because it wasnโt like regular schoolโit was fun and hands-on. I feel more ready for middle school and all the challenges ahead,โ she said.
With her talent, drive, and supportive community behind her, Sana Donaldson exemplifies how early access to programs like NJITโs FEMME cohort can ignite curiosity, build confidence, and inspire the next generation of leaders in STEM and beyond.