Donna Marapao

Pronouns: she/her

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Donna Marapao was born and raised in South Stockton, the youngest of five to a first-generation Mexican-American mother and a father, who immigrated from the Philippines. She earned a degree in Molecular and Cell Biology at UC Berkeley and is currently in her gap years pursuing a career in medicine. 

 

Donna has worked as a researcher at both UC Berkeley and UC Irvine Medical Center concentrating on Cell & Developmental Biology and Tissue Engineering, respectively.  Realizing the intersectionality regarding the social determinants of health that contribute to one's biological make-up and overall wellness, she has a passion to push for social justice and confronting health disparities. She served as a Health Advocate at Highland Hospital in Oakland, CA to take a holistic approach to patient care. She is also currently involved with Reinvent South Stockton’s Youth Council and Little Manilla Rising’s Transforming Communities for Healing to brainstorm and propose policies promoting community wellness. 

 

A strong believer that all youth deserve equal educational opportunities no matter their background or socioeconomic status, she served as a College Advisor at Life Academy in East Oakland, CA., and in collaboration with Bay Area Scientists Inspiring Students (BASIS), she helped teach science lessons at various elementary schools throughout the East Bay and currently leads the Stockton Chapter’s Filipino American National Historical Society Scholarship Program. 

 

Donna is currently the Co-Lead Medical Scribe at San Joaquin County General Hospital’s (SJGH) Emergency Department, a role that has been vital in solidifying her goal to become an ER Physician at SJGH to understand and advocate for patient’s health needs in San Joaquin County. 

As Director of Local Policy at Stockton Stands, she is committed to building her knowledge of not only local, but state and federal politics to address the issues most prevalent among youth in underserved communities like South Stockton. Trusting that science is only half the equation of true medicine, she commits to using her knowledge gained in this role to help develop and push for policies that will call for social justice to disseminate healthcare disparities.