The Gift of Giving

Lynne Lachenmyer led a successful, globe-trotting career and invested in her loved ones’ educations. After all that, she and her husband wondered, “What’s next?”

By Lynne Lachenmyer (’80, Chemical Engineering)

My parents always said that with dedication and hard work, I could do and achieve anything I set my mind to. A good education was the foundation that made that possible.

Through a lot of hard work and a bit of fun, I graduated as valedictorian of my high school class. When it came to choosing my major and university, I loved math, science, and craved independence like most 18-year-olds. Due to financial circumstances, I couldn’t quite fulfill my third want—I commuted to Cal Poly Pomona while working part-time. I set my mind to graduating in four years, and I did, with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering.

Upon graduation, I started my refinery job at Mobil Oil (now ExxonMobil). Throughout my 38-year career with the company, I had the distinct privilege to travel the world, work with wonderful people and leave a positive impact. My parents were right—good education was the foundation that made it all possible. I made sure to give the same foundation to my two sons by investing in their educations. And then, our niece. And then, our two nephews. And then, as each of them graduated, my husband and I asked ourselves, “What will be our next step?”

The answer: a scholarship at Cal Poly Pomona. We call it the Young Leaders in Engineering Scholarship. For the last 14 years, we’ve provided scholarships annually for young women to ease their financial burden of tuition. Our hope is that they can focus on successfully completing their engineering studies, earn their degree, and flourish in their careers.

In letters from scholarship recipients, several have shared that the scholarship allowed them to remain enrolled at Cal Poly Pomona, when otherwise they may have had to drop out. It is this type of positive impact that makes it easy to give year after year! With encouragement and support I hope more women enter STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), work hard with determination and achieve their career dreams.

Why scholarships for only young women? Well, that’s because I was often the only woman in the boardroom. Go further back to my graduating class and you only needed two fingers to count the number of women. There were very few women role models in the energy industry at the start of my career. Consequently, I made certain I spent time recruiting and mentoring young women to aid in their personal and professional success. Much like my parents did for me, I try to impress on these young women that dedication, hard work, and a good education will let you achieve anything you set your mind to.

If you’ve had a richly rewarding career, you know just how much you can change the lives of today’s students. So, I hope you’ll join me one day. Giving—whether it’s your time, scholarships, or both—is one of the most rewarding things you’ll do in life.

SUBHEAD Taken in 2014, Lynne Lachenmyer with her scholarship recipients. Left to right: Maria Medina Alva (‘16, industrial engineering), Charisse Garrido (‘14, civil engineering), and Karyna Banuelos (‘17, chemical engineering). A decade later, Alva is a senior manager of operations excellence at Bimbo Bakeries, Garrido is an associate civil engineer at the city of Chula Vista and Banuelos is a materials and processes engineer at Northrup Grumman.