Faith, determination drive Donald Simpreus ’26 toward physician assistant school
Faith, determination drive Donald Simpreus ’26 toward physician assistant school
By Vicki-Ann Downing ’21G
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, Simpreus, a biology major with an eye on physician assistant school, 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.
Simpreus 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. When he was 14 and entering high school, his mother suffered a serious health challenge that forced her to stop working and shook his family to its core.
“I made school my safe space,” Simpreus said. “I knew I could depend on a meal there. When I saw I could do well, I focused on achievement. I had never felt college was an option for me, but then I learned that it could be, and that you could get scholarships if you worked hard.”
Simpreus began considering careers while still in high school. Because of his mother’s illness, he was drawn to healthcare. He read about being a doctor, a dentist, a nurse — and then stumbled upon something called a “P.A.” — a physician assistant. Looking at the job duties, he realized, “Oh, my gosh, that is exactly what I want do.”
As a P.A., “You get to be a leader, and you work under a leader,” Simpreus said.
In high school, Simpreus saw that he possessed skills that helped him succeed where others did not. For example, he had no problem multi-tasking, balancing an after-school job at Burger King while managing time for homework.
Brockton High School, with more than 4,000 students, is one of the largest in the United States. English is a second language for nearly half its students; more than 30 native languages are spoken among the population. Simpreus took advantage of all it had to offer academically, including Advancement Placement and International Baccalaureate courses.
“I always purposely chose the most challenging thing,” Simpreus said. “I was better prepared for college than some students who went to private schools.”
Graduating among the top 20 students in his class, Simpreus was chosen to participate in The Valedictorian Project, a state program that matches high-achieving high school students with mentors who advise them on the college transition. His mentors were a Navy SEAL and a medical student, both Brockton High alumni.
“What I needed was an advocate,” Simpreus said. “I saw that nothing is impossible.”
Simpreus applied to PC at the suggestion of a guidance counselor and liked what he saw on the college’s website. A scholarship awarded with his acceptance made the choice easy, but Simpreus knew he would have to work to meet expenses. As a first-year student at PC, he found a community work study position through the Feinstein Institute for Public Service. He was an advocate with the Connect for Health program at Rhode Island Hospital, helping people navigate the healthcare system and make appointments.
“It was like having a social work job,” Simpreus said. “After patients had doctor’s appointments, I would call and ask their news, record the details, and connect them with others. I had to be very organized. These were real people I was working with. It was emotional because sometimes I felt I was not able to help them as much as I wanted.”
For his sophomore year, Simpreus found another job through Feinstein, this time working with the Providence After School Alliance in an after-school program for children at Esek Hopkins Middle School. He enjoyed it so much he would have done it as a volunteer, he said.
Physician assistant candidates need to show patient care experience. Simpreus became a certified nursing assistant while still in high school and worked in a nursing home. He also achieved EMT certification through a program at Massasoit Community College. The summer after his sophomore year at PC, he was hired as a per diem EMT at South Shore Hospital, and he continued to work there during his junior year, commuting from campus.
It isn’t all work for Simpreus, though. In addition to traveling to other colleges to perform with Footprints and rehearsing on campus, he found time in May 2024 to join a Campus Ministry immersion trip to Guatemala. He joined students performing service there, learning about the culture, and exploring the role of coffee in the economy. 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.
In April 2026, Simpreus will submit his applications to physician assistant schools. He works closely with Morgan Rayner, the college’s health professions advisor, and is grateful to professors who have supported him, including Adelaide Clark, Ph.D., and Jay Pike, Ph.D., assistant professors of chemistry.
Biology is a demanding major, but Simpreus is up to the challenge.
“You have to be committed to it,” Simpreus said. “It’s worth it. It keeps me on my feet and it makes me think. I’m never bored.”
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Footprints Gospel Choir in concert
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