Neffisah D'odoo

Neffisah D’odoo is from Stafford, Virginia and is a junior in Biomedical Engineering with a GPA of 3.77. She says the best thing about being a Virginia Tech engineer is that while some classes are challenging, it’s easy to get help whether it be from faculty or other students because engineers help engineers. When she was in middle school she dreamed of being a famous singer, but now that she is at Virginia Tech, she dreams of designing medical devices that will change the medical industry and save lives. Neffisah says that if she could change one thing, it would be the stereotypes and negativity towards black women. She says, “we are strong, beautiful, intelligent, and highly capable.”

During her freshman year, Neffisah was a mentee in the CEED peer mentoring program. Within the college of engineering, she works as an undergraduate research assistant in the BEAM department, and is a member of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). Upon the start of the school year, Neffisah hopes to attend and help with NSBE community outreach events and volunteer opportunities. Neffisah also says she loves music, playing and listening, and she has been playing percussion since she was 11. This coming year will be her second year as a Marching Virginian on the drumline. She also loves crafts and DIY things along with playing video games when she has time.

Neffisah says one of her role models would be her mom because she reminds her every day to work hard and be the best she can be as she sees her mom juggling school, work, and being a mom. She shows Neffisah that women are amazing, strong, resilient, and can do anything they set their minds to. In addition to two older brothers, Neffisah has a cat named Vernon, says her favorite music genre is RnB, and her favorite film is Black Panther! She also mentions that her favorite cartoon character is Kim Possible because she represents strong, independent women who break the stereotype of women being weak and fragile.