Born and raised in Sierra Leone until she was a teenager, Dr. Amie Sankoh shares in her own words what it was like to move to America and how she found her love of math and science. She also shares what it means to her to be the first Black Deaf woman to earn a STEM Ph.D.

Transcript:

Brooke: Hello, everyone! I’m thrilled to talk with Amie Sankoh who has a Ph.D. in BioChemistry. Welcome!

Amie: Thank you and hello.

Moving to America

Brooke: I want to ask some questions to get to know you. Can you explain your experience growing up in Sierra Leone then coming to America to pursue a Ph.D in biochemistry?

Amie: I was born hearing and I became Deaf when I was 3 years old. My parents are hearing, and their worry was how to fix it. They constantly looked for fixes such as medicine or eardrops. That’s why I was sent to America – the people in Africa thought Americans could do surgery to make a Deaf person become hearing.

When we arrived, we found out that wasn’t possible. My parents decided I’d stay and learn ASL (American Sign Language). I was 15 at the time and trying to learn ASL. It was lifechanging. Imagine, I can learn ASL. Before, they thought I couldn’t learn, that there was something wrong with my brain. Learning ASL opened my world and changed everything. I became passionate about learning.

As for how I got to my Ph.D., there is one language that is very universal to everyone — math. It was easy and visual for me.

Brooke: You love math.

Amie: Right! Math was champ for me — I was able to move ahead with it while I was failing at other languages. Eventually math became boring and I wanted a new challenge. In high school, I tried chemistry. It was more complex with formulas and was challenging. It became a passion from there. I learned step by step as I realized I could do it. I could go to college, I could get an AS, I could get a bachelor's degree, I could get a Ph.D.? I made it through.

Why biochemistry

Brooke: That’s a good journey. Everyone has their story. What made your love of math change to biochemistry? What was the difference?

Amie: Math was complex numbers such as algebra, then chemistry had formulas. I had an internship with a company focusing on material science. I realized I wanted to give back to my home. But my home didn’t care about material science. So I added the “bio” part — biology and chemistry — so that one day I might possibly come up with something that would help my home in Africa.

Importance of role models

Brooke: Good! What does it mean to you to be the first Deaf Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in a STEM field?

Amie: Wow, it wasn’t easy. I didn’t want to be the first. I wish… I remember wanting to have someone to look up to. The whole time I was working on my Ph.D. project, I thought, “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t…”

Brooke: Change to “I can.”

Amie: Yes! I didn’t really have that role model I could look at and say “If they can, I can.” I was just going by “Let’s see…” and going one day at a time. So my being the first tells you that there are too many barriers happening. Why don’t we have more Deaf people doing this? Because in the world there are too many barriers. So I’ve made it my goal to help remove those barriers and help make it possible.

Tips for children in STEM

Brooke: Thank you. Now, Deaf children can look up to you as a role model. What tips and encouragement do you have for them to get involved in STEM fields?

Amie: There’s a saying: “If you never try a new food, you’ll never know if you like it or not.” Right? So I encourage them to try and see if they like it. You might potentially find you like it.

It’s the same concept for me. I didn’t know so I tried it. Be willing to take the challenge. Don’t be scared. Anything is possible if you set your mind to it.

Everyday science

Brooke: For us as adults, how are our lives improved by science?

Amie: Everything you do in life every day is related to science. For example, diseases. My Ph.D. focused on viruses in food — excuse me, viruses in plants. You know how sometimes you’ll see a plant that is brown, like a brown leaf.

Brooke: Yeah, like at my home.

Amie: Yeah, that. Then a few days later you see it’s spread and become worse. That’s from a virus spreading through cell-to-cell communication. So I, as a biological scientist, study how cells communicate with each other. Why do they allow viruses to spread? If we can understand that, we can figure out how to prevent food from being destroyed. We can protect forests, we can protect the things we need to live, such as animals and other things we depend on for food. That kind of thing. Biological systems are very complex, so it is important for us to study that to learn how to prevent viruses from spreading.

Nurturing children’s education

Brooke: For those children interested in pursuing STEM fields, how can adults in their lives support and nurture their goals?

Amie: When I was young, in middle school and high school, I had many adults I could ask for help, such as how to register for science classes, apply for college, etc. Children should be able to ask many “how” questions to be able to pursue their STEM careers.
A lot of adults contributed to my success. I didn’t do it alone. My teachers, my interpreters — yes, I had interpreters in high school — mentors, and friends, all of whom I could ask that “how” question. That led me to where I am today.

Communicating through technology

Brooke: I want to tie in with interpreters. You went to a predominantly hearing university. How did you use technology to communicate?

Amie: It wasn’t easy. The more I advanced in school, the more challenging it became with interpreters.
In high school it was easy. The interpreter could help me figure it out. College was likewise easy. RIT was champ. Just champ.
Then I went to University of Tennessee for my Ph.D. Wow. I was the only Deaf person in my department. And, whoo, the interpreters were not ready for a Deaf person at that higher level. So the interpreter and I had to work together as a team to figure out how to make this work. We had to invent scientific signs that accurately fit the concepts and content so they could help me grow. With that, it became easier to present. So I worked a lot with the interpreters as a team to make the success possible.

[See how two other Deaf women in STEM are creating more scientific ASL vocabulary]

Brooke: Wow! We’re almost done. Do you have anything to add about your journey?

Amie: I would just say I never imagined what was possible in the future. Always take the necessary steps then you do what is possible. Figure out what is possible and do it. Then you’ll realize you’re doing the impossible. What do I mean? I never imagined I could get a Ph.D. degree. Never thought it was possible. My family never thought it was possible. My family was shocked, just like I was. So I just took it one step at a time. I did what’s necessary, then what’s possible and then I realized I was doing what I had thought was impossible. So my tip is keep going. Never give up.

Brooke: I want to emphasize to hearing parents that just because your child is Deaf, that doesn’t mean they’re broken. They have potential.

Amie: Right! They have potential.

Brooke: I’m happy your parents believed in you and brought you here and figured it out. They did a good job. I think your parents were guided.

Amie: Yes. Actually, my parents didn’t believe and were shocked in the end and wished they did more. So I encourage hearing parents: there is nothing wrong with your kids. Just provide them with access and the kids will thrive. And it won’t be shocking.

Brooke: I know! Thank you for your time chatting. I enjoyed getting to know you more today.

Amie: Thank you. Thank you. I really enjoyed talking with you.

Learn about other Deaf women who've made their mark on history.