Dania Hassan-Breaking the Norms

American University News


Dania Hassan at "Fun to Learn" workshop
Dania Hassan, a 2016 Summer Sisters Program alumna, attended STEM courses at Johns Hopkins University. Her idol is Muhtarma Fatima Jinnah, the sister of the founder of Pakistan. Dania admires Fatima Jinnah for breaking all societal norms and completing her medical studies along with helping her brother to strive for Pakistan. On the way she influenced hundreds and thousands of women to come forward and raise their voice. Following her idol’s footsteps, Dania is not only pursuing her dreams in education but is also setting examples to bring social change. Through the Summer Sisters Program at Johns Hopkins, Dania about learned different fields in STEM, which helped her choose a career in Bioinformatics. It allowed her to work in a real laboratory setting. Dania said, “I always had a dream to work in a real-life laboratory and let the inner scientists hidden in me show its passion, and thanks to this program, I worked in a real professional lab for two weeks straight at Johns Hopkins.” The Summer Sisters Program had an impact on her personal development as well; she said, “I gained a lot of courage and confidence…I am a better orator and public speaker now. Also, I learned and experienced how conferences and seminars are conducted.” Armed with that knowledge, today she is able to serve in her community by helping underprivileged kids.
She began planning her own seminars and workshops for underprivileged kids, naming the series, “Fun to Learn.” Dania explained, “I felt independent enough to and started planning seminars and workshops for underprivileged kids.” Dania remembers her experience in the United States as “absolutely amazing,” sharing, “I will not forget Johns Hopkins and will be ever grateful to the Summer Sisters Exchange Program for giving this wonderful opportunity to me.” You can watch Dania talk about her experience ...

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