Portraits of Success 

Sonna Patel 2003 

Sonna M. Patel's long list of civic contributions and service to others rivals her academic and professional achievements.  She received a MS in biomedical engineering from the University of Virginia in 2002 and a Ph.D. in 2005

It was obvious to Sonna's teachers that she was destined for unique opportunities.  During the summers of her high school years, Sonna served as a student research assistant at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Washington, DC.  She had the fortune of assisting a research scientist in the development of drug treatments which were later used in clinical trails for Alzheimer's disease.

Sonna put her education in engineering to work as a production engineer and a project engineer with BASF Corporation.  While most of us wouldn't understand the highly technical field that is her specialty, her contributions as a volunteer send a clear signal that she cares about her community and enriches it in very specific ways.   While Sonna was an undergraduate, she spent many hours at the Madison House-Children's Health Museum, where she guided children from diverse social backgrounds (so similar to the student population at T.C.) in caring for their health and understanding their miraculous bodies.

Sonna continues to volunteer in the health field, now as an emergency medical technician with cardiac-tech certification.  She often pulls a 12-hour weekly shift responding to 911 calls in the City of Charlottesville and surrounding Albemarle County.

She also serves on the Charlottesville-Albemarle Rescue Squad Board of Directors.  Sonna is a well-rounded citizen and is well on the road to success.

T.C. Williams Class of 1994
B.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Virginia, 1998
M.S., Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, 2002
Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, 2005