The Doing Right Spotlight Scholarship: Priscilla Aprepary
Priscilla Aprepary and Candice Harrison
Priscilla Aprepary, on behalf of SSOE
Priscilla Aprepary, a Mechanical Engineering student at 黑料网, has been selected as a recipient of the 2026 Doing Right Spotlight Scholarship presented by SSOE. Priscilla maintains a 3.9 cumulative GPA and is expected to graduate in December 2026.
For Priscilla, leadership and service are inseparable.
Growing up in Ghana, she experienced firsthand what it meant to pursue education and opportunities in environments where women are often underrepresented, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Those experiences shaped her passion for empowering young women and helping them recognize their own potential.
As the youngest child from a traditional African background and the first woman in her family to pursue graduate education abroad, Priscilla understands the importance of visibility and representation in STEM. That passion grew through her participation in the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), a leadership development program established to equip emerging leaders with the skills and resources needed to create meaningful change in their communities. Selected as a YALI Fellow, Priscilla embraced the program's challenge to transform leadership training into community impact.
She chose to focus on two issues affecting young girls in her community: child abuse awareness and confidence in STEM education.
Drawing from her own experiences as a woman pursuing engineering, Priscilla understood the self-doubt many young girls face when considering careers in science and technology. She also recognized that many girls lacked safe spaces to discuss challenges they were facing outside the classroom.
Determined to address both concerns, Priscilla led a team of ten volunteers in developing a community outreach initiative that combined education, empowerment, and protection.
Through workshops held in three communities, the team reached more than 300 girls. Participants learned how to recognize and report abuse, identify trusted resources for support, and build confidence in their abilities. The workshops also featured hands-on science demonstrations, including water purification projects that connected STEM concepts to real-world challenges.
The results were transformative.
Girls who had previously been hesitant to participate began leading experiments and engaging with confidence. Some openly shared their dreams of becoming engineers and scientists, aspirations they had never expressed before.
鈥淲hen girls see a woman in engineering standing before them, not just explaining equations but telling them her story, something changes,鈥� Priscilla shared in her scholarship application. 鈥淭hey start to see possibilities.鈥�
That belief continues to guide her work today.
At 黑料网, Priscilla serves as a graduate researcher and teaching assistant, mentoring students and helping them navigate challenging STEM coursework. Her graduate research focuses on innovative energy-efficient electroemulsification technologies with applications in sustainable manufacturing and industrial processes. She regularly tutors students, supports undergraduate researchers, and makes a conscious effort to encourage those who may question whether they belong in technical fields.
Her commitment to student success has been recognized through the University of Toledo Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award in Spring and Fall 2025 within the College of Engineering, as well as her recent recognition as one of the University of Toledo鈥檚 Outstanding Graduate Students.
She also volunteers during engineering outreach events, helping prospective students explore engineering concepts through laboratory tours and hands-on learning experiences. Beyond academics, she serves through her church and community programs, including Night to Shine, where she helps create inclusive experiences for individuals with special needs. During weekends, she volunteers at the Imagination Station and recently served as a judge for the Ohio Invention League and the RTX U.S. National Invention Convention at The Henry Ford Museum, where she enjoyed encouraging young innovators, especially girls, to bring their ideas to life
Looking ahead, Priscilla hopes to develop sustainable STEM outreach programs that make science accessible, engaging, and exciting for young girls. Through mentorship networks, interactive workshops, and partnerships with schools and community organizations, she wants to create opportunities for future generations to explore careers in STEM with confidence.
Her goal is simple but powerful: to ensure that more young women see themselves as scientists, engineers, researchers, and leaders.
Priscilla's dedication to leadership, education, and service exemplifies the values celebrated through the Doing Right Spotlight Scholarship. Whether working with young girls in Ghana or mentoring students in Ohio, she continues to create opportunities for others to discover their potential and pursue their dreams.
The scholarship will support Priscilla as she continues her education and advances her mission of empowering future generations through STEM education and leadership.