Connecting with faculty led to incredible opportunities
è˶Ƶ College senior Aby Soumare ’25 said, “I’ve found that no matter what, everyone working on this campus wants you to succeed.”
Aby Soumare ’25 has learned a lot throughout her collegiate career, yet if there is any wisdom she could impart to her younger peers, it would be to take a mathematics class.
“Every single student should take one, specifically mathematics, not statistics,” the mathematics major emphasized. “They teach problem solving and logical thinking, skills everyone needs.”
While her love for mathematics isn’t what originally led her to è˶Ƶ College, it is what made her stay. As a Black woman in STEM, Soumare quickly found herself frustrated by the constant microaggressions she experienced and the lack of camaraderie at the first college she attended. So, she transferred to è˶Ƶ in the middle of her second year, hoping for a more inclusive experience, and that’s exactly what she was met with.
The first class she took on campus was discrete mathematics with Assistant Professor of Mathematics Tori Day ’14. By then, Soumare already knew she loved math, but it was the time spent in Day’s class that made her enjoy the subject even more. Soumare appreciated Day’s patience in the classroom and during office hours. Day clearly had excitement and passion for the coursework, which Soumare says was evident during lectures.
Soumare also credits Chassidy Bozeman for being a supportive figure as she transitioned into MHC. Soumare found it refreshing and encouraging to have Bozeman, a fellow Black woman in STEM who she could look up to, on campus.
“I came to è˶Ƶ longing for a stronger mathematical community and to see myself represented in the work that I was doing and wanted to do,” Soumare said. “So often, women in mathematics are only seen at the elementary or high school level. Being able to take mathematics courses from several different women has been critical to my time here.”
Outside of her mathematics major, Soumare found places to lean into her passion for languages both inside and outside the classroom. After choosing to learn Chinese to fulfill the language requirement for her degree, she fell in love with it. In the summer of 2024, she studied abroad in Taipei, Taiwan, where she studied Mandarin for two months. When she returned to the United States she was more proficient in the language, had a renewed sense of self and had learned to give herself more grace.
“Alice Shin-Yi Kao played a pivotal role in how far I’ve come with the language,” Soumare said. “She’s so supportive, and her classroom was such an encouraging space that allowed me to learn the language at an accelerated pace. She pushed me to develop my Chinese skills, and I wouldn’t have experienced this beautiful language and culture if it weren’t for her because it’s such a challenging language to learn. [Studying abroad] was cathartic and freeing. I had to let go of the language mistakes I knew I was making because it was all new to me. I realized it’s impossible not to make mistakes when you’re learning a new language.”
In addition to her coursework, Soumare is involved in the campus community. She’s a math, stats and data science liaison who helps students determine which courses to take to set them up for future career aspirations, and she is the public relations officer for the ’s executive board. Of all her extracurriculars, she’s proudest of her time serving on the executive board, as it’s allowed her to advocate for student needs. In this role, she’s worked to fund a gender euphoria closet, written proposals for students to have free pots and pans in every dorm kitchen and is working on a plan for subsidized storage for low-income international and domestic students.
“My whole philosophy is to do for others what I’d want for them to do for me,” she said.
After graduation, Soumare plans to stay on the east coast. She’s actively applying to paralegal and law assistant roles so she can experience life at a corporate law firm before narrowing down which path she’ll take in law school in the future. Although she knows the field of law is tough, she feels prepared for whatever lies ahead because of how her collegiate journey has prepared her.
“Transferring schools taught me how to adapt, studying mathematics taught me logic and problem solving, studying Chinese taught me how to learn quickly and my student government role taught me how to advocate for others and create proposals,” she said. These are all skills she believes will serve her well in the field of law.
In addition to her hard work, she credits the culture of the College for making it possible for her to succeed and ask for what she wants.
“Asking for what you want and need was somewhat of a foreign concept when I started at è˶Ƶ, but this place pushes you to do exactly that,” Soumare said. “Everyone working on this campus wants you to succeed. Professors and staff have extended their office hours for me, answered detailed questions via email and pointed me to others who could help me if they couldn’t. The willingness to help me change the things I wanted to improve my time on campus and other students’ time on campus has made me better for myself and my community.”
