School of Molecular Sciences graduate receives Moeur Award

Editor's note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable fall 2020 graduates.

Sabrina Mango successfully completed her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the School of Molecular Sciences in The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at ASU. Mango came to ASU from Gilbert, Arizona, receiving the New American University Scholarship President’s Award from ASU.

While at ASU, Mango earned second place in the English 105 division of the ASU Writers’ Place Awards. She also gained new perspectives.

“I learned that you can learn something from everyone," she said. "I was a tutor, so I was familiar with teaching other people, but sometimes I learned from the students I tutored. Every person has a unique story, and you can learn something when you’re looking and listening.”

One of the lessons Mango values most came from her calculus professor, Mark Ashbrook: “Either make progress, or ask for help.” This advice resonated with Mango, and she took it to heart, now graduating with a 4.0 GPA, summa cum laude, and as a recipient of the Moeur Award, reserved for ASU students with the highest academic standing through all semesters of study.

Outside the classroom, Mango has been interning for a local cosmetics laboratory since the summer of 2019. She credits her internship with giving her the opportunity to transition directly into a career right after graduation. At the end, she reflects back to the beginning.

“On my first day of class, I forgot to bring paper to write notes down. I remembered a pen and pencil, but I didn’t have a single piece of paper. I was really embarrassed for forgetting to bring the bare-minimum materials but look at me now! I’m graduating with a full-time job lined up at a company I really enjoy working for. The moral of the story is: Your bad days aren’t indicative of your whole future.”