Will They Create the Future?

Forecasting the future is a dicey business. If you are of a certain age, you remember when pundits predicted that we'd all be flying our jet cars to the supermarket and Pan Am would be operating a space shuttle.

Unless you are a stock analyst or a meteorologist, however, there are few consquences for the average prognosticator.

But to Create the Future is a different matter. Those whop spin their dreams into tomorrow's reality are accountable day in and day out for the fruits of their imagination. As many Michigan Tech Magazine readers know, the risks can be great, but so are the rewards, both for the individual and for society.

Michigan Tech is a springboard for people who do more than forecast the future. They invade it. In the following pages, you will meet a 1994 alumna woh has fulfilled her bridge-building dreams, a championship rower on the verge of becoming a materials engineer, and a first-year business student who sees herself as a chief financial officer.

Will they create the future? Decide for yourself. Their stories suggest that they already are.

SherAaron Hurt

SherAaron Hurt approaches life with the verve of a kid doing a cannonball off a cliff. Whatever future she creates for herself, you know it will involve a great big splash.

Ask this 18-year-old graduate of Detroit's magnet high school Cass Tech what she wants to be when she grows up, and she says a CFO. This isn't the answer you'd necessarily expect from someone who wants to master sign language, who couldn't wait for her first north country winter so she could learn to skate, and who loves dogs like crazy and volunteers at the local animal shelter.

And yet, her primary academic conundrum is whether to concentrate in accounting or finance as she pursues her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. She already knows she'd like to keep up with her French.

So where did this predilection for the numbers side of business come from?

"I've always loved math, and when I took accounting in high school, I loved it," Hurt says. This led to a program at Cass Tech called "The Competition." Her team was among three groups of students who competed at Ford Motor Company to develop the best marketing campaign for the 2005 Mustang GT.

"We had to do everything from scratch: create a commercial, hire the cast, do the budget, everything you could think of," Hurt says. Her team won, and for Hurt the prize was a computer and an internship with Ford.

"They put me in the finance department," she says. "I saw a lot, inside and out, and I actually met the CFO himself. After seeing his job, I thought to myself, 'I can do that!' So many doors have been opened for me, why not?"

The doors to Michigan Tech were first cracked open by her high school vice principal, Lenore Ashford. "She told me this is where you'll go," Hurt said. "She introduced me to Betty Chavis [director of outreach and multiethnic programs], and then we were introduced to President Glenn Mroz when he came." Next she heard a presentation on the University's business offerings, and that was enough for Hurt.

Plus, she says, "I love water. And I didn't want to go to an historically black college; I wanted a more diverse background. I'm from Detroit, so I know what it's like to be around a lot of African Americans."

Michigan Tech also represented a chance to stretch her wings. "My mom told me I couldn't leave Michigan. I said fine, but I was kind of rebellious. And when I found out that Michigan Tech was ten hours away, I went, 'Fabulous!'

"That's how I got here, and I am loving it."

Hurt came to Michigan Tech with great expectations and has not been disappointed. "I want to purchase land up here, the atmosphere is so welcoming," she says. "My professors cater to our needs. They have this open-door policy: 'Come see us; there's no reason you shouldn't pass my class.'"

When asked who her favorite is among these professors, Hurt's first response is, "I love them all." Then, with difficulty, she narrows it down. "I guess my favorite class is World Religions with [social sciences instructor] Bucky Beach," she says. "He is so open-minded, so funny, and so considerate of everyone's beliefs."

Just part way through her freshman year, Hurt is already the finance chair of the student chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers and a member of the Black Student Association, the African Student Organization, the Campus Store Advisory Board, the Student Entertainment Board, and the Praise in Effect gospel choir. Plus, she already has her skates sharpened in anticipation of becoming the Michelle Kwan of the Copper Country, and she can't wait until there's enough snow on Mt. Ripley to ski. Meanwhile, her community service gene called her to volunteer as a dog walker at the local humane society.

"The toughest part at Tech is all the different activities," she sighs. "Having a plethora of organizations is fantastic-there's one for everything that I love. So I have to prioritize and make sure I don't overdo it."

So, when she talked to a group of Cass Tech students recently, Hurt did tell them the obvious: Houghton is not Detroit. However, it can still be home. Then she told them what they didn't expect: The problem may be not that there's nothing to do up north, but that there can be so much.

"I told them that when you come to Michigan Tech, it's good to have a goal in mind. Otherwise, it's easy to get distracted."

For Hurt, distraction is not an issue. She knows where she wants to be. "Ultimately, I want to start my own franchise of hotels," she confides. "My mom took me to Las Vegas, and I was blown away. I want to do a five-star hotel, and at least twice a month I dream about some fabulous hotel."

In the meantime, Hurt says, she's keeping her eyes open, the better to recognize whatever prize lies just beyond the horizon.

Amy Trahey

Bridges are soaring metaphors for hope, arching over whatever barriers lie in our path. Before she was twelve years old, Amy (Grisdale) Trahey was already aspiring to build her own real-life bridges of concrete and steel, and she never let obstacles stand in the way.

"By the time I was in sixth grade, I had a very good sense of what I wanted to do and what would make me happy," said Trahey, 34, who graduated from Michigan Tech in 1994 with a BS in Civil Engineering. "I wanted to leave my stamp on the world, and the only way to do that was to become an engineer."

And being a civil engineer was virtually a foregone conclusion. "My mom would take us kids on vacation, and we'd see the Mackinac Bridge. Or we'd go to Chicago, and I was in awe of the bridges and buildings," Trahey recalls. "I thought they were so cool."

Becoming an engineer required a long leap of faith; no one in her family had even completed a college education. "But my mom was a single working mother, and she served as inspiration," Trahey said. "She was a secretary and eventually became chief of staff for the speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives. I thought, 'If she can do it, so can I.'"

Growing up in Lansing, the obvious choice of college would have been Michigan State. "But I was interested in bridges and buildings, and after I got some counsel, I applied to Michigan Tech. They came back with the best scholarship."

"The only thing I had to pay for was my room and board and books," she remembers. "And as I was the first in my family to go to college, there were a lot of hopes hanging on my head."

So she crossed her beloved Mackinac Bridge again, this time without her family, to begin a four-year stint in a place she'd never seen. "I didn't know a soul up there, so my mom thought I'd be right back home. But when I first walked into the dorm, I met some girls from Negaunee. We're still friends."

Finding friends was the easy part for the petite blonde with the big smile. "The hard part was those first couple years of classes," Trahey said. "The high school I went to was good, but we didn't have computers, and there were no drafting classes.

"I was in this room with all these men pulling out their triangles, and I had to fight just to keep my head above water-I didn't want to disappoint my family."

Then in her junior year, "everything totally switched. I got to sink my teeth into my curriculum."

Not only did her grades turn around, but Trahey also met her favorite professor. "That would have to be Bogue Sandberg," Trahey says. "Does he still have a big old beard?* He's a great person."

After graduating, Trahey joined the Michigan Department of Transportation, where she happily designed and built bridges until, after six years of moving up the ladder, she got an offer that she had to refuse.

"My boss wanted me to accept a promotion, but it would have taken me out of what I loved, bridge design and construction," Trahey said. "I thought it was time to move on."

So she did. In 2000, Trahey founded Great Lakes Engineering Group, LLC, crossing her fingers against falling flat on her face. Five years later, Trahey is pleased to report that she is still upright. "It's going good!" she exclaims. "We've been doubling our revenue every year and putting everything back in the business so it can grow."

It hasn't been easy, especially since the birth of her son nearly two years ago. And next March, when her second child will be born, juggling her life will be even more difficult. "It's hard to find a balance," Trahey says. "I'm torn between having such a great husband and son and making it through the fifth year."

The fifth year is a watershed for small businesses, Trahey explains. If you can make it that far without going belly up, you'll probably make it a lot further. With eight bridge projects in progress, the future of Great Lakes Engineering Group seems assured. She attributes its success to lots of late hours and hard work.

She also credits MTU for conditioning her for the demands of entrepreneurship. "I think Tech did an outstanding job of preparing me to create the future," Trahey says. "There's something about being away from your family, coping with the snow and the cold, that prepares you for the real world. And that hardship has turned into things that are really fun for me now, like snowmobiling and skiing.

"Plus, when you meet someone who's a Tech grad, there's an instant bond, instant respect. They know what it took to get that degree."

This fits with the first half of her motto: Work hard, play hard. "I've been trying to work on the play part," she admits. "There is more to life than just work."

Tim Wong

Senior Tim Wong won't graduate until May, but he already personifies the Michigan Tech watchword, "Create the Future." However, he can't quite afford his creation . . . yet.

While interning last summer with Durham Boat Company, in New Hampshire, Wong tested an oar especially for the elite athletes who row sculls, those impossibly long, thin, racing boats that skim across lakes like water spiders. "We had to figure out a blade that would be optimized for how the athlete applies power," he said. "The dynamics of the stroke are really complex."

Wong would know. The materials science and engineering major, whose life's goal is to be the president's science advisor, has another dream: to be on the US Olympic Rowing Team. It's a long shot, but long shots don't seem to phase this dark-haired, lanky twenty-one-year-old, perhaps because he's already come so far, so fast.

The White Bear, Minnesota, resident started rowing during his first year at Tech, intrigued less by the sport than by its technology. "As a materials scientist, I was fascinated by some of the equipment they had, like the four-meter carbon fiber oars," Wong says. With his native talent, however, he was quickly drafted by the MTU Rowing Club, and was soon out on the Portage Waterway every morning by 6 am, at least on those days when the water was liquid.

The effort paid off. In July, he placed second in the nation in the senior lightweight division at the National Rowing Championships, held in Indianapolis. Then in August, he finished second at another premier competition, the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta, in the five hundred-meter dash.

A small problem had been his oar, which didn't quite work the way he wanted it to. So during his stay at Durham Boat Company, Wong cooperated with MTU alumnus Jim Dreher (ME '62), the company's general manager. Dreher engineered the oar, and Wong tested it out back on the water, providing feedback on the design. Together, they created an oar for future Olympians. "It's a little hard to row, but it allows top-level athletes to row more powerfully," he says.

Is he using one? "Not now-I can't afford them," Wong smiles. "They offered a discount, but it was still too expensive."

Though he's a star on the MTU Rowing Club, which has been blowing its opposition out of the water, Wong was not lured to Michigan Tech by crew.

"I came here because it has a great materials science department, and because it's in a perfect location for me," he says. "I love to rock climb and ice climb, mountain bike and road bike, cross-country ski and telemark ski, and obviously, now I'm a rower."

As for academics, what makes the materials science and engineering program so special are its people. "It's definitely the professors," Wong says. "Whenever we need help, they are there for us."

So far, the pinnacle of Wong's educational experience has been working on that oar for extraordinary athletes. But while he is fascinated by hands-on engineering and materials science, ultimately he envisions his career taking another tack.

"I'm really interested in the interaction between science and society," he says. "That's why my most recent career goal is to be the science advisor to the president. I like explaining science to people in creative ways and teaching about its role in the world."

His enthusiasm for making science accessible has been reflected in and nurtured by another of Wong's activities at Michigan Tech. He is the student chair of Students for Environmental Sustainability and is a member of the University's Environmental Sustainability Committee. "Our main goals are to raise awareness of sustainability and support sustainable practices like recycling, green building, green purchasing, and transportation alternatives."

"I think the ESC has had a big impact," he says. "Through its recycling program, it keeps hundreds of tons of paper out of the landfull. Plus, we do things as basic as cleaning up the trash on the beach and on the hill above Lot 10, the parking lot by the Rozsa Center. It may not seem like much, but overall, we are making a huge difference."

In his spare time, Wong also serves in the Undergraduate Student Government and works on the Student Commission.

"Oh! And I should put in a plug for the Outdoor Adventure Program we're starting," he adds. "It's to give students an opportunity to experience the outdoors by providing gear, training, expertise, and planning trips.

"Tell people to contact me at tlwong@mtu.edu if they have skis, camping gear, snowshoes, whatever, to donate."

As he completes his final year at the University, Wong offers up some advice to students considering coming to Michigan Tech.

"Make sure you like snow! Or learn to like it," he laughs. "Seriously, if Tech is right for you, then it's really right. It's not a mediocre institution or location at all-it has a huge personality."

For those who decide Tech is indeed right for them, the opportunities to grow both as a student and as a person are unlimited, Wong says. "But you have to get involved," he insists. "The school can't do everything for you."

Whether your goal is to advise the president or compete in the Olympics, the same guiding principle applies: "You have to be proactive in directing your own life."