Meet the Face
Behind the Leadership Journey
ABOUT ME
I'm from Scarsdale, New York and I'm a Senior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign studying Chemical Engineering. I'm set to graduate in the Spring of 2021. Throughout all of my on campus and off campus experiences, I realized that being a leader means something different to everyone. I wanted to learn more about myself, including my strengths, and how to showcase them as well as my weaknesses, and how to improve them. I wanted to explore different areas of leadership and define what it means for me.
ABOUT MENTOR
Upon joining the LCP, I received a mentor, Cheryl Lamm. Cheryl is a leader in her related field. Since 2006, Cheryl
directs anonymous corporate grants for McMaster-Carr Supply Company, a privately held distributor of industrial supplies. She previously handled Community Relations for The Quaker Oats Company, a division of PepsiCo, and served as the executive director of The Quaker Oats Foundation. Prior to grant making, Cheryl did marketing and fundraising for organizations such as Rush –Oak Park Hospital and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. She has also been an avid leader and active volunteer in the Council of Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance, founded the Illini Leadership Council Chicago, currently serves on the Student Affairs Advisory Council at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and is committed to her sorority, Delta Phi Epsilon. By talking with her on a regular basis, I was able to analyze my own core values, learn to prioritize better, and refocus on my values and my actions.
CONFIDENCE
Since a variety of topics and fields are covered in my curriculum, as a chemical engineer student I was able to notice how each of the classes taught me to be resilient, confident in decision making, and how to think about real world problems. I believe that the courses taught at UIUC about chemical engineering are very industry/academia-oriented and thus the content is applicable immediately to internships and full-time jobs where leadership comes into play right away.
BETTER LIVES FOR OTHERS
I hope to pursue a process development role specifically in scale up of products in the pharmaceutical industry to have a positive impact on people's lives. My interest in the pharmaceutical industry stemmed from experiencing firsthand my father go through cancer twice (and winning!). I want to have a positive impact on people's lives and well as the close people around them. I would also like to explore the possibility of attending graduate school to pursue a Masters degree in nano science and engineering. In my career, I see myself being a leader in a company (hopefully a director position).
INSPIRING OTHERS
On campus, I participate in undergraduate research in Dr. Hutchens' Lab in the Mechanical Science and Engineering department. I investigate emulsion methods to create closed-cell, fluid-filled plant analogues that have the potential of being used in surgical applications. I am a student advisor and leader in the School of Chemical Sciences (SCS) at UIUC. I serve as a mentor and positive role model to current SCS students through blog posts as well as educate students about my major in major and minor fairs. I was a philanthropy committee member for American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) at UIUC. I organized philanthropic events throughout the Champaign-Urbana Community including at the Jubilee Café, Agora Class presentation and fundraising with local restaurants. I was also a REACT outreach member where I presented and explained scientific reactions to grade school children. I studied abroad in Madrid, Spain through the IPENG Engineering program for a semester.
GROWTH
Going through the Illinois Leadership Certificate Program has taught me confidence, to empathize better with others more, stand up for what's right, and be more creative. Before participating in many team events, I never pursued leadership roles because I was shy and not as confident. I now understand myself better and know that I am able to accomplish what I want as well as bring others up with me. I'm grateful for the experience that Illinois Leadership Center was able to provide me and Cheryl Lamm for guiding me and providing me the tools to grow myself into the best and authentic self.
Inspirations
The Tipping Point & The Art of People
I read these two books during my leadership certificate journey.
"The Art of People" by Dave Kerpen focused on relationship management skills while enabling you to reflect on your experiences at the end of each chapter.
"The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell discussed what it takes to gain traction for any product of industry as well as key traits that either you or your network should have in order to be successful.
Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream and Oatly
Ben & Jerry's and Oatly are two brands that I have looked up to for a long time.
More and more I see Ben & Jerry's posting on their social media account about social and racial inequality. Through their posts about what is happening in the United States, It inspires me to get more involved and take action
Oatly’s site led me to be more sustainable in my own life, including alternative dairy solutions. Oatly caught my eye because they are bold in their marketing while having a delicious tasting product. Similar to Ben & Jerry's, Oatly has a strong set of beliefs about inequality in society, as well as working hard to reduce their environmental impact.
Blogilates
Blogilates is a pilates youtube channel that turned into a full company. I knew about Blogilates since the Summer of 2020, but was not motivated to exercise. So, one of my leadership goals was to exercise at least four times per week.
Blogilates inspires me because the company was founded by a woman from an immigrant family. She had to overcome challenges such as family and societal standards to get to where she is today. Every video she posts is filled with great exercises that anyone can participate in as well as motivation that is urgently needed throughout the day.
NASA
Ever since elementary school, where I learned that I can be an engineer for an organization that can extend human knowledge, I knew I wanted to work for NASA. I participated in space camps during the weekends and joined a robotics clubs in school. I was eager to continue learning about all science topics and excel in my math courses. Learning about NASA's impact on the world early on enabled me to understand my goals and desires as an elementary school student. Even though I did not pursue a career with NASA, the organization still inspires me to be a leader in STEM and grow into the best engineer I can become.
