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Student's Passion is to Find Out How the World Works
Templeton
Photo credit: Al Vargas
Why would a 44-year-old woman who had carved out a successful career in sales and marketing administration in Chicago toss it all aside to enroll in a college halfway across the country to pursue an associate’s degree? Her explanation might surprise you.
“I had spent 25 years climbing the corporate ladder,” says Lisa Templeton, “and was a ‘success’ despite the fact that I didn’t have a college education. At a certain point, however, I became painfully aware that something very important was missing from my life. It wasn’t the ‘degree’ that was lacking. It was an understanding of the world I live in -- how it works, how my every-day environment functions."
She became filled with questions. "When I flick on a light switch, for example, why does the light go on? How does electricity power the equipment in my office? Or the gadgets in my home? How do radio waves transmit sound? These questions, at length, became impossible for me to ignore. I became insatiably curious about the mysteries of the physical world and decided to do something about it.”
Templeton’s next step was to look nationwide for a college that would fill in the gaps. She had specific requirements: it had to be a public college; it had to offer a top-rated telecommunications technology program; and it had to be a commuter school -- a “tool-belt university” -- that would also offer a formal education. “When I’m in a brain-storming session with my colleagues,” she explains, “I want to be able to participate, to understand all of the technological references, to offer opinions that are relevant.”
The first female in her family to seek a college education, Templeton zeroed in on New York City College of Technology (City Tech) in Brooklyn, where she enrolled in a telecommunications technology program in 2005. She hasn't looked back. Not only does she have a 3.5 (out of a possible 4.0) grade point average, she is a member of the Physics Club and the Society of Women Engineers. She volunteered to chair City Tech’s chapter of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), in which capacity she is doing everything she can to make sure that younger students understand the mechanics of a high-tech world long before they reach her age.
Under her leadership, industry speakers and job recruiters have been invited to the campus and club membership has jumped from six to 25. “One extremely effective speaker was a City Tech graduate who earned a 4.0 GPA and went on to a highly successful career in industry,” she says. His advice to the students mirrored Templeton's own goals and achievements: Think “outside of the box,” develop hobbies, do whatever is required on the job, even if it appears to be unpleasant, go to IEEE mixers, attend trade shows, exchange business cards, apply for scholarships, don’t fade into the background, reach out. “You never know who you’re going to meet," she adds, "or who knows whom.”
Templeton -- who considers her 92-year-old grandmother one of her best friends ("she is 100 percent supportive of my new direction and cheers me on at every opportunity") -- certainly thinks “out of the box.” She plans to go on for a bachelor's degree in telecommunications technology at City Tech and also a second associate's degree, this one in computer information systems.
"The more diversified one's skill set becomes, the more creative and valuable they become as they can offer several perspectives," she says. "Even associate-level education in separate disciplines combined with practical experience can enhance one's marketability dramatically. I used to staff technical projects in Chicago based on this."
Following her own advice to make the most of the college experience, she takes full advantage of the College’s resources. The Voorhees Learning Center is where she can be found two or three days a week between classes, working with faculty tutors. “This new approach to tutoring,” she says, “was developed by the Adjunct Academy at City Tech to increase student success rates in tougher courses, including those in electronics, physics and math. The tutoring staff helps reinforce fundamentals and build confidence. Sometimes a little sincere support can go a long way.”
City Tech telecommunications technology students like Templeton are excited about three new bachelor's degree concentrations -- wireless communication, optical communication and network management -- being introduced this spring in response to industry trends and a review of the job market.
According to Dr. Djafar Mynbaev, department chair, trends shaping the industry involve ever-changing technological requirements in data services (data delivery and storage), conversational services (voice, voice/video), video services (TV, video and music streaming), combinational services (gaming) and corporate-virtual-private network (VPN) services (intranet, e-mail, data exchange and storage).
Templeton will earn her associate’s degree in June. She is currently interning with a local telecommunications contractor who specializes in troubleshooting radio interference. She plans to work full-time while pursuing her next degree, and hopes to combine her business skills from her previous life with her newly learned technological skills.
What does such a highly motivated person do to unwind? Among Templeton's many interests, she says, "I am a member of the American Motorcycle Association and have been riding dirt bikes and street bikes for nearly three decades. I'm hoping to earn a beginner's motorcycle drag racing license this year."
1/8/07
