Class of 2029: Georgina Bonsu, future physician and international health leader

Georgina Bonsu's interests range from medicine to policy and law. That's why she decided to begin her journey at FIU this summer as a disaster management major. 

"I want to become a doctor, specifically an OBGYN," Bonsu says. "I would love to work in maternal health. I'm also interested in international law and global health. Disaster management is a way to start bridging these interests. It's also a unique path into medicine. I just thought it was really cool."

Bonsu comes to FIU from Orlando, Florida. She graduated from Cypress Creek High School, where she was deeply involved with a variety of student organizations. She was president of her school's African Student Union as well as its chapter of Students Working Against Tobacco (known as SWAT). 

Through these roles, Bonsu worked on a number of projects, including organizing a festival that brought together about 100 folks from the community and hosting school activities to raise awareness about the addictive properties of tobacco, vaping and other substances. For example, Bonsu and her team of students hosted a slime-making event. It was much more than a fun diversion. 

"We were talking about the topic of stress," she says. "Instead of smoking, why not try something like making slime? We were trying to help the students find ways to replace smoking with fun habits and activities."

A lover of the dramatic arts, Bonsu was also involved in her school's theatre club as its treasurer. She was an on-stage manager, directing the backstage crew, the lighting and other behind-the-scenes aspects of the shows. She fulfilled this role for many school plays as well as performances at district competitions and at the Southeastern Theatre Conference.

Additionally, she volunteered at Advent Health Hospital, where she helped nurses with daily tasks and interacted with patients. 

On top of all that, she was part of her school's IB program, studied on a pre-med track and also played lacrosse.