2025 Award: Georgia Tech's Pathway of Progress
An Absolute Honor
This March, I received one of the grandest honors of my life. I was named one of the 168 inaugural honorees of Georgia Tech’s Pathway of Progress.
Pathway of Progress is a permanent art installation on Georgia Tech’s campus. Launched on International Women’s Day in March, it has nearly 3,000 mirrored tiles. Each tile tells the story of alumnae, students, faculty, and staff who made a lasting impact — at Tech, in their field, and in the world.
And somehow… one of those tiles has my name on it.
A Few in My “Village”
Sharing this moment with my parents, loved ones, and PhD advisor makes this award even more special. A full-circle moment I’ll cherish forever. Grateful for my “village” –their sacrifices, encouragement, and relentless belief in what I could become.
To the person(s) who nominated me: THANK YOU!!! Know that I’ll keep paying it forward, elevating GT’s mission of progress and service.
Next time you’re on Georgia Tech’s campus, take a walk past the John Lewis Student Center. Look up and find my tile.
Forever grateful to be a Yellow Jacket.
Some Stats
~3,000 permanent tiles to celebrate GT women in Pathway of Progress Exhibit
168 inaugural honorees
1…of them…is me.
Me? An island girl, from Dominica.
As a small island girl, I sometimes have to pause and breathe through the magnitude of these moments. I sit in deep gratitude — heart wide open for the blessings the Universe has in store for me. In moments like these, I affirm that I get to live my ancestors’ wildest dreams.
Reflections
My engineering journey began at GT … 20 years ago.
Back then, I was a transfer student … frantically completing homework or prepping for exams, with my college besties, in the Chemical Engineering Building on Ferst Drive.
Starting over in a new country wasn’t easy. GT (and GSU) gave me my first friends in the US, a solid start in engineering, and a taste of undergraduate research.
The Exhibit
The visionary behind Pathway of Progress is GT alumna Andrea Laliberte, IE 1982, M.S. IE 1984. After a successful engineering career, she returned to GT with a plan to give back. “There are, and have been, amazing women here, but no one knows about them.” She wanted to tell their stories in a public, visually compelling way.
Merica May, Class of ’08 and lead architect of this installation described the installation during opening weekend as “strong, flexible, visible; armored and magical; imbued with stories and voices; takes space and gives back; ultimately, her impact is more important than her shape.”
History of GT Women
The BENCH celebrates the brave firsts, e.g. the first female mascot, librarian, graduates, etc.
The BANNER celebrates graduates of today.
The CANOPY celebrates women of tomorrow – some who may very well be reading Abby Invents® Unbreakable Crayons in Grade 1 right now, completely unaware that their names could one day shine on mirrored tiles 🤭.
Georgia Tech was founded in 1885, but women weren’t admitted until the 1950s. The first women graduates, Shirley Mewborn and Diane Michel, walked across the stage in 1956.
Yet it wasn’t until 1961 that GT admitted Black students. And, the first Black women didn’t enroll until 1967. A few pioneers are Brenda Gullat (EECS, 1976), Grace Hammonds (Math, 1973), and Adesola Kujoure Nurudeen (ChE 1978).
It means when I stepped onto GT’s campus, the first Black women graduates had been there a mere 40 years before me! I can’t begin to imagine their arduous journey, navigating racial integration. I stand in awe of their persistence, resilience, and sheer determination to get an education. Because of them, I could.
Advice to college students and early career professionals
Build your village. Look for your helpers – parents/mentors who listen, advise & pray for you; friends who help you get through the most challenging classes; friends who offer a listening ear; professors who nurture your creativity & challenge you (in a good way); and mentors who help you bridge the gap between where you are today and where you’d like to be tomorrow.
Be courageous enough to try new, hard things. As a first-generation student, there may be no roadmap for your envisioned career, because there is no one in your family who has traversed a similar path. Life is a blank canvas and you may feel unsure which step to take. The uncertainty of it all may be overwhelming. You’ve got to trust that whatever step you take is the right one, because you are making a decision based on all the data points you have today. When you lean into the uncertainty and take the first step, something daring, something scary may be the thing that forever changes your life trajectory, in a good way.
Embrace uncertainty. Make uncertainty your friend, not foe, and dare to dream; dare to invent something new; dare to do something that uplifts your community.
Learn more about Pathway of Progress: https://celebratingwomen.alumni.gatech.edu/
Check out my profile on GT’s Pathway of Progress here: https://celebratingwomen.alumni.gatech.edu/explore/#/profile/arlyne-simon-ph-d
Buy Abby Invents® Unbreakable Crayons and Abby Invents® The Foldibot here: signed copies at SeeSoar Kids or on Amazon