Donatto graduates Stanford University
TaNia C. Donatto, 2019 Liberty High School Salutatorian, graduated from Stanford University located in Palo Alto, California. On June 18, 2023, TaNia received her Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering conferred with distinction, an honor given to those in the top 15% overall of the graduating class. She also minored in Creative Writing – Poetry. TaNia will return to Stanford for the 2023-24 school year to complete her Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering. She will continue her research with the Extreme Environment Microsystems Laboratory (XLab) on the topic of graphene aerogel characterization and in-space synthesis.
TaNia held various leadership roles as part of the Stanford Student Space Initiative (SSI). One standout of being a part of this organization was developing outreach activities for the Chabot Space and Science Center regarding SSI's award winning (NASA SPOCS) Biopolymer Research for In-Situ Capabilities (BRIC) project which flew to the International Space Station on a SpaceX crew resupply mission.
TaNia’s honors include but not limited to the Brook Owens Fellowship recipient, Tau Beta Pi Honor Society candidacy offered to the top 20% of graduating engineers, Antarexxa Work Space Week (Indonesia) guest speaker, and Adelaide University Space Society (Adelaide, Australia) guest speaker. In addition to being an engineer, TaNia is a published poet in print and online.
Volunteer Service and Mentorship are ways that TaNia gives back. Activities include being a Brooke Owens Fellowship Alumni Mentor, Stanford Black Recruitment and Orientation Committee Upperclassmen Mentor, The Champion Project (pairs high school students with college students) Champion Coach, and Society of Women Engineers volunteer.
During her four years at Stanford University, TaNia completed internships at NASA Ames Research Center, and is currently on her third at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, CA.
A couple of other activities that kept TaNia engaged were her dedication and leadership in The Stanford Axe Committee, a student group devoted to promoting school spirit and supporting athletics. Perhaps you’ve seen TaNia on TV during Stanford’s televised athletic events. She also performed in two dance productions in the Theater and Performance Studies department. She most recently played a stepsister, singing, acting, and dancing, in the Cinderella musical put on by the student group BLACKStage.
It’s noteworthy to state that at an early age, TaNia has had an affinity to space and space-related interests. It speaks volumes in that she is doing what she has set out to do and continues to leave her footprints in the space world. One highlight during her 2021 SpaceX internship, TaNia assisted in building a spaceflight vehicle heat shield, completing tile assembly at the construction site in Boca Chica, TX.
A grand congratulations on your accomplishments and continued success, TaNia!
TaNia is the daughter of Victor and Tonya Hebert Donatto. Her sisters are Nailah and Simone. She is the granddaughter of Ruthie Hebert and Valencia Arceneaux.