Mya Leonardo, who will graduate with a 4.0 GPA in biology, is narrowly taking a break before she starts attending Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine in July 2025. This pace is not unusual for Mya, as she has been a powerhouse on campus and in the community throughout her time on campus.
Since 2022, Mya has chaired the Student Philanthropy Council, helping educate the student body on philanthropy’s power and its role in shaping students’ experience on campus. “Mya has shown remarkable resilience and dedication,” says Director, Student Engagement + Philanthropy C. Hawkins. “She led through the natural growing pains of a new organization—navigating shifts in member engagement and leadership—while never losing sight of the council’s purpose.” She’s also proud of the way she has grown SPC. “I developed a whole new perspective on the values that encompass Northeastern and why certain things on campus are carried out the way that they are.” That helped her inform the student body of the importance of donations—and donor’s choice.
Mya has been a tutor and gala committee member for EVkids and a Husky Ambassador. For Miss America Opportunity, she has volunteered more than 600 hours at various community events. She’s committed to helping children and has tied that into her plans to become a dentist. She hosts free oral hygiene workshops for after-school programs and schools across Massachusetts. She also hosts the Smart Smiles Toothbrush Drive, collecting and donating more than 800 toothbrushes plus toothpastes for schools and shelters across the state. In addition, she also published her first children’s book, Maggie and Her Powerful Braces. “Maggie’s story has helped kids across the Commonwealth find confidence through their smile and not letting the bullies’ negative words overpower you.”
Mya has not yet begun dental school, yet she has become a licensed dental assistant, earning about 2,000 clinical hours assisting procedures in general dentistry, pediatrics, orthodontics, periodontics, and dentistry for patients with special needs. “Providing care for patients with special needs brought so much joy to me,” she says, “because it was all about having patience and being adaptable to provide for the patient in a way that was geared to their needs.”
In addition to becoming a dental assistant, Mya is certified in CPR, AED, radiology and infection control. A member of Northeastern TriBeta Biological Honor Society, Mya is a member of the ASDA Pre-Dental Advisory Committee, and debate team member, as well as the public relations chair and mentor of Northeastern University Pre-Dental Association. She is founder of EMPOWER and EMPOWER Workshops in Dartmouth, and holds weekly “Mindsets with Mya” podcasts and blog postings to help spread inclusion and a positive mindset.
Hawkins says, “Her leadership, volunteer spirit, academic integrity, and deep commitment to Northeastern are undeniable. She is exactly the kind of student who becomes a lifelong ambassador for the university.”
