校友问&A: How Angela Steffen Meyer ’83 ’85 ’87 Reinvented Herself Throughout Her Career
From forensic engineer to CEO 和 owner of a strategic business development consultancy, the commencement speaker addressing SMU 莱尔’s class of 2024 knows the importance of continuous learning 和 improvement
Dr. 安吉拉·斯蒂芬·迈耶的履历可谓五花八门.
她曾是一家法律协会的首席执行官, 技术顾问, 董事会成员, 商业发电机, 和 an officer 和 director of publicly traded companies. She’s been a forensic engineer investigating accidents in the government 和 private sectors, getting to the bottom of how cracks grow in materials 和 why things break. She’s worked on aircraft investigations for the Canadian Department of National Defense.
She’s done analyses related to the sinking of the Titanic, 詹姆斯·迪恩的致命车祸和约翰·F·肯尼迪. Kennedy’s assassination for television shows or mock trials. “我喜欢所有的事故都是一样的，”她说.
At this year’s SMU 莱尔 commencement, she has a powerful message for graduates:
“永远不要停止学习，”她说. “If you’re not continuously improving yourself, you’ll fall way behind. 这只是开始，而不是结束.”
Dr. Steffen Meyer是一名“SMU终身校友”，她说. She earned her bachelor’s degree in 1983, her master’s in 1985 和 her Ph.D. 1987年，全在机械工程. Ahead of her commencement speech for Spring 2024 graduation, 莱尔最新消息 caught up with her to talk about her time at SMU, her advice for students 和 her fascinating career.
新大莱尔是如何改变的?
莱尔 is a very different place than it was when I attended. 我现在很想成为那里的学生. I’m very impressed with how they’ve changed over the years – they’ve really put themselves on the map.
我也很高兴看到莱尔有更多的女性. 我的毕业班女性不到10%. In the early ‘80s, you were kind of an odd duck if you were a woman in engineering. My twin sister 和 I were very active in engineering life at SMU. 当时我正在攻读硕士学位, I helped sell SMU 莱尔 和 recruit more women to the school.
你在新大最美好的记忆?
My twin sister 和 I both studied mechanical engineering, 和 we became very good friends with many of the international students from the Middle East 和 South America. When we spent time with them, we learned so much about the world 和 food 和 culture. We also went to every football game – we were ranked #2 at the time! 这是一个伟大的四年.
你参加过什么俱乐部、体育运动或组织吗?
I was an officer in the Engineering School Student Senate 和 was a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers student chapter 和 Tau Beta Pi, 工程荣誉学会.
你对学生有什么建议?
建立关系网. Underst和 that you’re not necessarily the smartest person in the room. Surround yourself with smart people that you can learn from 和 who can help you.
给年轻时的自己一些建议呢?
You wouldn’t guess this about me, but I have huge imposter syndrome. It’s quite real 和 can take a toll on your ability to survive in business. 我会说:“相信你自己.”
大学以来最有趣的工作?
I’ve done some really interesting things that I never thought I would do. 我一直很幸运. I worked on litigation involving rollovers with SUVs. 我参与了通用汽车燃料箱火灾的调查. I did a reconstruction of James Dean’s car crash for an NBC TV show. 我接受过CNN的采访 《威尼斯人娱乐城》. 我一直在 历史频道 和 学习频道.
But working for one of the largest forensic engineering companies, Failure Analysis Associates, Inc. (now known as Exponent), was by far the hardest 和 most fun job I’ve ever had. It’s an engineering 和 scientific consulting firm that investigates the causes of accidents 和 failures. Once I got into business development 和 marketing, 这变得非常有趣, because I got to use my technical chops to sell services to people.
If you weren't an engineer, what would you do instead?
当我年轻的时候，我想成为一名编舞家. 那是我的梦想. However, I’ve learned that technical sales is theater meeting science. I use my communication skills 和 technical skills to do something that I love.
用三个词描述你自己.
以服务为导向，工作勤奋，思想周到.
最喜欢的达拉斯餐厅?
当我还是个学生的时候, there used to be a Tex-Mex restaurant called Raphael’s where my sister 和 I would meet our parents for dinner every Friday night. We always had the same server, Arm和o, 和 I would order puff tacos 和 cheese enchiladas. Today, though, my answer would be Wok Star Chinese on Walnut Hill.
你想要什么超能力?
我是…的超级粉丝 《威尼斯人娱乐城》. 我喜欢科幻小说. My favorite character is Marvel Girl Jean Grey because she’s a strong woman 和 has telepathic 和 telekinetic powers.
你是如何应对压力的?
尽可能多运动. My mom says I’m like a wound-up toy – I’m always stressed.
你认为你最大的成就是什么?
我的儿子尼古拉斯. I have a thoughtful, good-natured, self-sufficient 27-year-old son. You can have all the money in the world, but if you don’t have family, what do you have?
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关于鲍比·莱尔工程学院
新加坡管理大学莱尔工程学院 thrives on innovation that transcends traditional boundaries. We strongly believe in the power of externally funded, industry-supported research to drive progress 和 provide exceptional students with valuable industry insights. Our mission is to lead the way in digital transformation within engineering education, all while ensuring that every student graduates as a confident leader. 成立于1925年, SMU 莱尔 is one of the oldest engineering schools in the Southwest, 提供本科和研究生课程, 包括硕士和博士学位.
关于SMU
SMU is the nationally ranked global research university in the dynamic city of Dallas. SMU的校友, 教职员工近12人,000 students in eight degree-granting schools demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit as they lead change in their professions, 社区与世界.