𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙇𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙎𝙏𝙀𝙈, 𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙩𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝-𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚
Eleven-year-old Sana Donaldson is showing that curiosity, creativity, and leadership have no age limits.
Fresh from the𝗔𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗘𝗠𝗠𝗘 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗮𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗝𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 (𝗡𝗝𝗜𝗧) 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 mathematics—fields where women have historically been underrepresented.
𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐌 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬, 𝐊𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐨𝐭 𝐀𝐢𝐫 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐬
Sana participated in a variety of projects, from building rockets and kites to designing a hot air balloon using everyday materials. “I didn’t know I could make them fly so far or design them myself. It felt amazing when it worked!” she said.
Her favorite project was the rocket, complete with a parachute that successfully deployed during launches. “Every time we launched it, it looked like magic! And when it finally worked, it was such a victory,” she added. Sana also highlighted the collaborative spirit of the program: “The other girls were really smart, and when they didn’t know something, they asked for help instead of staying quiet. It was different from school sometimes, because there we usually ask another student.”
𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐀𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬
Accompanied by her proud father, Sana walked Superintendent Dr. Atiya Perkins and School No. 5 Principal Rachelle Crawley through her projects at the Linden district’s 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.
“I didn’t know I could make them fly so far or design them myself. It felt amazing when it worked!” she said, her eyes lighting up as she demonstrated the principles in action.
Dr. Perkins, impressed by Sana’s clarity and curiosity, remarked, “Watching her articulate the science behind her work—linking theory to hands-on experimentation—was inspiring. She’s not just building paper planes; she’s building confidence, leadership, and a love for learning.”
Principal Crawley added, “Sana 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.”
𝐀 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬
Sana describes herself as having a “leadership personality” and a willingness to learn from those with more experience. “Sometimes I like to take charge, but if I see someone knows more than me, I just sit back and learn,” she said. Beyond STEM, she is already considering environmental law as a potential career path, showing a broad curiosity for making a positive impact.
𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝
As she prepares for middle school, Sana remains focused on growth, learning, and leadership. “I loved the program because it wasn’t like regular school—it was fun and hands-on. I feel more ready for middle school and all the challenges ahead,” she said.
With her talent, drive, and supportive community behind her, Sana Donaldson exemplifies how early access to programs like NJIT’s FEMME cohort can ignite curiosity, build confidence, and inspire the next generation of leaders in STEM and beyond.