MINERVA VOICES

Meet the Class of 2027: Ada

Meet Ada, an Class of 2027 member from Turkey.

September 21, 2023

How did you discover Minerva?

I discovered Minerva while I was searching for international high schools back in 10th grade. I came across a video of a UWC alumni who went to a university that was aimed to make a change in the traditional higher education system and enhance it by incorporating elements that will thrive students’ ability to adapt and ace their careers in the 21st-century world. As someone who has always chased the best quality of education, I was already drawn to Minerva’s model which had a valuable mission that I admire.


What was your favorite accomplishment that you submitted in your Minerva application?

My favorite accomplishment was founding my own initiative that aimed to make a positive change in the lives of underprivileged students in conflict zones. In the English teaching programs of ‘STEPS of Change’, international volunteers from all around the world teach English online to groups of 15-20 disadvantaged students in conflict zones. With this, we aim to enhance the quality of their education and help them to become global citizens but also hope that they feel supported by our international community. This project was my childhood dream and I cannot explain how happy and excited I get when I hear them speaking English with me.


What excites you the most about attending Minerva?

There are many things that excite me about Minerva. I am fascinated by the fact that we would be having a small-scale world tour while studying. I had always been interested in learning about cultures. Moreover, I am looking forward to expanding my project, STEPS of Change, in the global rotation cities. This would turn my childhood dream of leading a global project into reality.


What academic path are you most interested in and how will that contribute to your future dream career?

I am most interested in the Data Science and Economics concentrations. By combining these two concentrations, I hope to become a data analyst in the public policy sector so I can help shape policies supported by scientific data that will benefit society.


Can you share a piece of advice for future applicants?

In my opinion, the best advice would be to be authentic throughout the application. Showing that you are entrepreneurial and resilient can also be a good way to show the admissions officers that you fit into Minerva.


If you were inspired by Ada's story and are seeking a college experience that will teach you valuable pragmatic skills that will enable you to change the world, consider applying to Minerva.

Quick Facts

Name
Ada Tuana Dönmez
Country
Turkey
Class
2027
Major

Computational Sciences

Computational Sciences

Social Sciences & Business

Business

Natural Sciences

Social Sciences

Social Sciences

Social Sciences & Business

Business & Computational Sciences

Business and Social Sciences

Social Sciences and Business

Computational Sciences & Social Sciences

Computer Science & Arts and Humanities

Business and Computational Sciences

Business and Social Sciences

Natural Sciences

Arts and Humanities

Business, Social Sciences

Business & Arts and Humanities

Computational Sciences

Natural Sciences, Computer Science

Computational Sciences

Arts & Humanities

Computational Sciences, Social Sciences

Computational Sciences

Computational Sciences

Natural Sciences, Social Sciences

Social Sciences, Natural Sciences

Data Science, Statistics

Computational Sciences

Business

Computational Sciences, Data Science

Social Sciences

Natural Sciences

Business, Natural Sciences

Business, Social Sciences

Computational Sciences

Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences

Social Sciences

Computational Sciences, Natural Sciences

Natural Sciences

Computational Sciences, Social Sciences

Business, Social Sciences

Computational Sciences

Natural Sciences, Social Sciences

Social Sciences

Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences

Arts & Humanities, Social Science

Social Sciences, Business

Arts & Humanities

Computational Sciences, Social Science

Natural Sciences, Computer Science

Computational Science, Statistic Natural Sciences

Business & Social Sciences

Computational Science, Social Sciences

Social Sciences and Business

Business

Arts and Humanities

Computational Sciences

Social Sciences

Social Sciences and Computational Sciences

Social Sciences & Computational Sciences

Social Sciences & Arts and Humanities

Computational Science

Minor

Natural Sciences

Sustainability

Computational Sciences

Computational Sciences

Computational Science & Business

Economics

Social Sciences

Concentration

Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence

Economics and Society & Strategic Finance

Enterprise Management

Economics and Society

Cells and Organisms & Brain, Cognition, and Behavior

Cognitive Science and Economics & Political Science

Applied Problem Solving & Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence

Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence & Cognition, Brain, and Behavior

Designing Societies & New Ventures

Strategic Finance & Data Science and Statistics

Brand Management and Designing Societies

Data Science & Economics

Machine Learning

Cells, Organisms, Data Science, Statistics

Arts & Literature and Historical Forces

Artificial Intelligence & Computer Science

Cells and Organisms, Mind and Emotion

Economics, Physics

Managing Operational Complexity and Strategic Finance

Global Development Studies and Brain, Cognition, and Behavior

Scalable Growth, Designing Societies

Business

Drug Discovery Research, Designing and Implementing Policies

Historical Forces, Cognition, Brain, and Behavior

Artificial Intelligence, Psychology

Designing Solutions, Data Science and Statistics

Data Science and Statistic, Theoretical Foundations of Natural Science

Strategic Finance, Politics, Government, and Society

Data Analysis, Cognition

Brand Management

Data Science and Statistics & Economics

Cognitive Science & Economics

Data Science and Statistics and Contemporary Knowledge Discovery

Internship
Higia Technologies
Project Development and Marketing Analyst Intern at VIVITA, a Mistletoe company
Business Development Intern, DoSomething.org
Business Analyst, Clean Energy Associates (CEA)

Conversation

How did you discover Minerva?

I discovered Minerva while I was searching for international high schools back in 10th grade. I came across a video of a UWC alumni who went to a university that was aimed to make a change in the traditional higher education system and enhance it by incorporating elements that will thrive students’ ability to adapt and ace their careers in the 21st-century world. As someone who has always chased the best quality of education, I was already drawn to Minerva’s model which had a valuable mission that I admire.


What was your favorite accomplishment that you submitted in your Minerva application?

My favorite accomplishment was founding my own initiative that aimed to make a positive change in the lives of underprivileged students in conflict zones. In the English teaching programs of ‘STEPS of Change’, international volunteers from all around the world teach English online to groups of 15-20 disadvantaged students in conflict zones. With this, we aim to enhance the quality of their education and help them to become global citizens but also hope that they feel supported by our international community. This project was my childhood dream and I cannot explain how happy and excited I get when I hear them speaking English with me.


What excites you the most about attending Minerva?

There are many things that excite me about Minerva. I am fascinated by the fact that we would be having a small-scale world tour while studying. I had always been interested in learning about cultures. Moreover, I am looking forward to expanding my project, STEPS of Change, in the global rotation cities. This would turn my childhood dream of leading a global project into reality.


What academic path are you most interested in and how will that contribute to your future dream career?

I am most interested in the Data Science and Economics concentrations. By combining these two concentrations, I hope to become a data analyst in the public policy sector so I can help shape policies supported by scientific data that will benefit society.


Can you share a piece of advice for future applicants?

In my opinion, the best advice would be to be authentic throughout the application. Showing that you are entrepreneurial and resilient can also be a good way to show the admissions officers that you fit into Minerva.


If you were inspired by Ada's story and are seeking a college experience that will teach you valuable pragmatic skills that will enable you to change the world, consider applying to Minerva.