Jonah Sementkowski graduated from Clarkston High School and went on to graduate from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he studied Cell and Molecular Biology. Jonah also earned a master’s degree from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, where he focused his studies on Hospital and Molecular Epidemiology.

During his time at Clarkston High School, Jonah attended the Clarkston Science, Mathematics, and Technology Academy, which combined rigorous education with technology integration in the classroom. He joined the high school robotics team, Team RUSH, his sophomore year of high school. During his time on the team, he served as one of the presenters, responsible for speaking publicly about the team and presenting at robotics competitions. He gained experience through his various technical roles, ranging from above chassis to advanced electronics, but ultimately found his place on the Community Impact Group, responsible for organizing and conducting the team’s community outreach and compiling its efforts for awards submissions. Jonah acted as a liaison to other robotics teams in the community during his senior year on Team RUSH. He accompanied Steve Hyer and 6 other teammates to Washington, DC in 2009 to advocate for STEM education and FIRST Robotics.

As an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan, Jonah was an active member of the Michigan Synthetic Biology Team. He was elected to be the team’s Chief Financial Officer for the 2014 season. Some of the research conducted by Jonah and his teammates was referenced by a team of synthetic biology researchers at MIT, who finished the work his team had set out to do. During Jonah’s time at UofM’s School of Public Health, he worked in the Koropatkin Lab in the Microbiology and Immunology Department of the University of Michigan Medical School as a laboratory and research assistant. Jonah was also a Graduate Student Instructor for two undergraduate courses, a role in which he was able to foster his passion for teaching and imparting knowledge on future generations.

Jonah’s career began in infection prevention, working for a large healthcare system in southeast Michigan, for 5 years. He now works with Michigan’s state health department, where he is currently coordinating enhanced MDRO prevention efforts in healthcare facilities throughout Michigan. Jonah was able to reignite his love for robotics and growing future leaders by becoming a volunteer for FIRST after he graduated in 2017. He has served as a judge at the district, state, and international levels for 7 years. To build upon the advocacy work he started in 2009, Jonah joined the Student Association for STEM Advocacy in 2021.