Amy Stabell had Marina Miletic for her very first and last classes as a chemical engineering undergrad.
And their story doesn't end there.
“When I was floundering a bit in my early 20s, I reached out to Dr. Miletic, who thoughtfully and kindly responded in a way few professors would,” Stabell writes from the UK, where she works in quality in aerospace composites as Henkel’s global quality network head of experts.
That floundering period is long behind the 2007 alumna, who in 2015 earned a spot on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in Manufacturing & Industry list and nine years later received a Young Alumni Achievement Award from the UI’s Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
Partial credit for all of it goes to the faculty member who Stabell says was “by far the most impactful person for me at University of Illinois.”
“Dr. Miletic always insisted on a holistic approach to teaching,” she says. “She not only ensured we understood the practical applications of the concepts we learned throughout our time there, but also insisted on teaching us some basic ethics and personal finance which I still use today.
“When I was in her senior design course, she assigned us a book titled ‘Minding the Machines’ by William M. Evan and Mark Manion, which was extremely influential to me. It made myself and my classmates understand the responsibility that comes with the title of ‘engineer.’
“She also taught us about the hierarchy of control, which I have applied to almost every project in my career.
“I think it's notable that Dr. Miletic was in a teaching position. I've learned later, due to my husband being an academic himself, that these positions don't come with the same prestige, compensation or job protections as full professor positions.
“I think it's quite notable that so many of my cohort — and many others —would not have had as positive an experience without Marina. I hope she has gotten the recognition of her impact.”
