On Thursday, March 25th, four women graduates of the Albert Nerken School of Engineering, Shannon Spence CE’96, Anamaria Bonilla CE’96, Anna Brook BSE’04, and Gina Magnotti ME’11 shared their collective wisdom and insights with current Cooper students, faculty, and staff. Their stories about their Cooper experience revealed common threads and shared bonds across majors and over years. These included that overcoming challenges at Cooper and in life is a team effort: we do not succeed solely on our own merits and hard work; times of failure can be teaching moments where we develop grit and resilience; no matter where we are, what challenges we face, we will encounter obstacles and allies; and find ways to bypass the obstacles, seek out the allies, and become allies for others. The panelists’ ability to learn anything was a hallmark of their Cooper education and a key component of their subsequent success. They advised current students that having a plan is fine but be open to new possibilities as those possibilities might be better than what the student might have. Each panelist encouraged current students to know themselves and blaze a trail that fits their own unique personality, skill set, and desire to make a positive impact in the world.

The panel was presented via Zoom and moderated and facilitated by Lisa A. Shay, Associate Dean for Educational Innovation.