“I have had many reasons to give up on my educational goals but my anchor remains unshaken. My anchor for staying strong and pushing hard to claim my PhD degree is: ‘I am the first in my family.’”

Nyimasata Damba Danjo is a driven student and researcher determined to serve as a role model to young people in their own educational and career journeys. Growing up in The Gambia, Nyimasata worked diligently toward her vision of becoming the first in her family to pursue higher education. She enrolled at the University of the Gambia Medical School but found more interest in the research aspects of medicine. So when Nyimasata was awarded a prestigious scholarship from the MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program at Michigan State University (MSU), she seized the opportunity to pursue her growing interest in research. Even through the challenges of navigating college as an international and first-generation student, Nyimasata excelled at MSU and earned her bachelor’s degree in neuroscience.

Now, Nyimasata is pursuing her research interests and ambitions at UM-Ann Arbor as a PhD candidate in the field of molecular, cellular, and developmental biology. Her current research focuses on the role of a melanocortin receptor in the regulation of growth and muscle energetic adaptations, a project that may have direct implications for child development. Recently, Nyimasata was also awarded a CHEAR-LSI Child Health Policy Scholars Fellowship, which will enable her to gain additional training and research experience in methods and applications of child health policy research. Her professors and mentors remark that she has an “exceptional aptitude for science” and “a level of intellectual curiosity that is truly rare.” Beyond her research, Nyimasata is active in promoting community health and education through her role as co-founder of the Helpers for Health Foundation.

Nyimasata reflects, “I have had many reasons to give up on my educational goals but my anchor remains unshaken. My anchor for staying strong and pushing hard to claim my PhD degree is: ‘I am the first in my family.’”

CEW+ commends Nyimasata’s determination to achieve her educational goals and names her the Margaret E. Gnegy Scholar.