Donald Simpreus ’26
Donald Simpreus ’26
Biology
When Donald Simpreus ’26 was in high school, he visited Providence College to take part in A Night in Friartown, an event for prospective students. Sitting in Slavin Center on an April night, he watched the Footprints Gospel Choir perform, envisioning himself on the stage. Faith is important to Simpreus, and from childhood, singing in choirs was his favorite way to express his love for God.
Four years later, Donald, a biology major who was accepted to physician assistant school at the University of Mount St. Vincent in the Bronx, is the president of Footprints. In December 2025, he facilitated the group’s hosting of the United Gospel Experience Tour, which brought gospel choirs from Gordon College, Trinity College, the University of Hartford, and the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, to PC to perform.
His schedule is full. In addition to his classes, he works 11 hours a week at Friartown Fuel, the snack and supplement station for student-athletes in the Ruane Friar Development Center, and weekends as an EMT at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth, Massachusetts. Somehow, he has added minors in French and in Black studies to an already demanding schedule.
“You have to be committed to it,” Donald said of his demanding biology major. “It’s worth it. It keeps me on my feet and it makes me think. I’m never bored.”
Donald was born in Boston to parents from Haiti and spent his early childhood years in Montreal, where he spoke Haitian Creole and French. He learned English after moving to Brockton, Massachusetts, at age 8, with his parents and two sisters. His mother’s illness led him to consider a career in healthcare while he was still in high school.
Donald found work study employment through PC’s Feinstein Institute for Public Service. As a first-year student, he was an advocate with the Connect for Health program at Rhode Island Hospital, helping people navigate the healthcare system and make appointments. During his sophomore year, he worked with the Providence After School Alliance in an after-school program for children at Esek Hopkins Middle School.
He has also taken advantage of opportunities for service and leadership. He joined a Campus Ministry service immersion trip to Guatemala. He is a member of the Dirigo Honor Society and Alpha Epsilon Delta, the honor society for the pre-health professions, and he serves in leadership roles with the Horizons, Transitions, and Night in Friartown programs for new and prospective students.
