As electives go, one on discovery law was worth considerably more to Lisa Blimling than a couple of college credits.
“After taking this course, designed for first-year undergrads, I knew the path I wanted my career to take,” says Caterpillar’s director of global intelligence (BS ’00, psychology).
“This course introduced me to various aspects of the criminal justice system and put me on a path to obtain my MS and eventually work in the intelligence field in both the public and private sectors.”
Of course, Blimling wouldn’t have achieved all she has — master’s at Illinois State, followed by eight years as an intelligence analyst for the Illinois State Police, followed by seven-plus years at Caterpillar HQ in Peoria — if not for all the time she logged in the Undergraduate Library.
“Thinking back about the countless hours spent underground reminds me of what we are all told freshman year — the library was built underground to not cast shade on the Morrow Plots,” she says. “Looking back, I was also likely drawn to this spot because the plots reminded me of home, growing up on a small family farm.
“Another campus spot that immediately comes to mind is, or was, Assembly Hall. I’ll never forget the many concerts I attended there with roommates and friends, or the energy-filled Fighting Illini basketball games, which fueled my love of sports.”
