Endnotes: What Has Been Your Most Significant Breakthrough?
In recognition of the Break Through campaign, alumni were asked: What has been your most significant personal breakthrough?
Some years back, I took a timeout from my STEM career and went to Tibet. That bloomed into a 14-year career leading a nonprofit that ran programs in education, health care, job skills training, and cultural heritage preservation. I’ve always had a burning desire to write a book—not only to tell my own story but also to share what I learned about the place and its people. My book, Compassion Mandala: The Odyssey of an American Charity in Contemporary Tibet, was published in September 2020.—Pamela Logan (BS ’81, MS ’82), Lakewood, CO
My autism diagnosis. Regarding Caltech, it explained why I flamed: pressure and poor social knowledge. In retrospect, I realize that I was far from alone in being autistic. It also helps me understand my autistic son, who may very well go to Caltech.
Raising children is a challenge. My breakthrough was seeing my daughter, who is attending a college in the east, get accepted and participate in this summer’s SURF program at Caltech.
My personal breakthrough was when I applied the knowledge and skills I gained at Caltech as a Chemical Engineering major to study, test for, and receive my Civil Engineering license.—Alex Padilla (BS ’07), Fountain Valley, CA
My two juggling partners and I, performing as the Stanford Juggling Research Institute, won the silver medal in 2004 at the Teams Championships of the International Jugglers’ Association’s annual festival by presenting a scientific and professional yet funny club-passing routine.—Martin Frost (BS ’69), Half Moon Bay, CA
Coincidentally, I have just published a book called Breakthrough! But seriously, overcoming the rejection everyone who tries to get published faces and becoming a full-time writer has been a significant breakthrough. —Marcus Chown (MS ’84), London, UK
My biggest breakthrough was completing the ME masters program while a single parent raising a 3-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son. It wasn’t easy.
No big intellectual or business breakthroughs. Did first play water polo at Caltech and ended up in the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame. Bet that’s a first for Tech.
Editor’s Note: Because of a technical issue, we were unable to identify some of the people who responded to this question. If you replied, please send your name, graduation year, and hometown to magazine@caltech.edu so we can include it in our online edition.