Monica Stephens Cooley
Where are you from?
I am the child of a military family. My father served in the United States Air Force for 20 years. During that time, we traveled both in the United States and abroad. I spent most of my childhood in Europe. My most fond memories are from time spent in Spain (grades K – 3) and Greece (grades 6 – 10). These experiences gave me an appreciation for different cultures and a love for travel.
Please describe an experience that helped you discover/cultivate your interest in the mathematical sciences?
I always enjoyed mathematics but had a wonderful chemistry teacher in high school who led me to choose chemistry and chemical engineering as my undergraduate major. I applied and was accepted at Spelman College in the Dual Degree Engineering Program (DDEP). My father always told me that engineers made the most money!
However, in my first semester at Spelman, I took calculus with Dr. Etta Zuber Falconer. This experience completely changed my life. Dr. Falconer was a visionary at Spelman who is credited with leading the effort to grow and strengthen STEM departments at the College. Her life’s work was to transform the landscape of STEM by opening doors for more people of color to obtain advanced degrees in the STEM disciplines. Not only was Dr. Falconer one of the best teachers of mathematics that I had ever had, she also had a way of subtly convincing you that you were capable of achieving things that you could not even envision. I never considered getting an advanced degree in mathematics until she planted the seed. In my second semester at Spelman, I took a course with Dr. Sylvia Bozeman and I began to believe that I was actually GOOD at mathematics. These women set the example for what was possible for me. Growing up I had never known of or heard of Black women with Ph.Ds in STEM. In fact, I had never had a Black teacher in STEM in elementary, middle, or high school. At Spelman, I was surrounded by them, encouraged by them, and validated by them.
I made my decision to go to graduate school in applied mathematics when Dr. Falconer introduced me to Dr. Denise Stephenson-Hawk (formerly Graves). Dr. Hawk was a NASA scientist who was on loan to Spelman for several years. She was the first African American women to obtain the Ph.D in Geophysics from Princeton University. She became my undergraduate research advisor and helped me understand how I could blend my love for mathematics with my passion for science. I did a two-year undergraduate research project with her in the area of geophysical fluids, which led me to choose applied mathematics as my field of study.
What is/are your most proud accomplishment(s) regarding your career in the mathematical sciences?
The most-proud accomplishment in my career was returning to Spelman College as a faculty member and continuing the legacy of the women who had made such a difference in my life.
At Spelman I started the Women in STEM (WiSTEM) program in 2007. WiSTEM, now in its 16th year, is a pre-freshman bridge and first-year learning community for entering first-year STEM majors. Many of the components of the WiSTEM program were modeled after the Summer Science Program and the NASA WiSE Scholars program that existed in the late eighties through the early 2000s. I was in the first cohort of NASA WiSE scholars in 1987. These programs created a cohort experience and academic support that led to many students graduating and obtaining advanced degrees in STEM. The WiSTEM program has impacted almost 300 Spelman STEM majors. More than 70% of WiSTEM participants complete their degrees in a STEM discipline. The national STEM retention rate is ~43%. The program also has a 92% graduation rate.
What is/are your most proud accomplishment(s) regarding your personal life?
My most proud accomplishment is being the mother of a 14-year-old son who is talented in mathematics, physics, drawing, athletics, and most things involving computers and gaming. My hope for him is that he would cultivate his passion and carve out a career that would allow him to live his best life every day.
Please share some words of wisdom/inspiration.
The landscape of STEM is still lacking diversity in many areas, especially mathematics. I am always shocked by the lack of gender and racial diversity when I attend conferences in my discipline. So, for those who are pursuing graduate degrees in mathematics, you are still trailblazers. Believe in yourself and your ability to persevere. And, all of us need to reach back and grab the hands of those who are coming after us.