As an eighth-grade student, Stephanie (Beban) Peterson ’01 (mechanical engineering) went on a school field trip that sparked an interest in engineering — by way of roller coasters. This happened in the 1990s when Peterson and her fellow Reno students traveled by bus to California’s Great America, the Santa Clara theme park, home of scream-inducing thrill rides.
“We had to do these math worksheets on our way there, and I learned that there was something called engineering and that [engineers] are the ones who make roller coasters,” Peterson said. “I wanted to do that.”
She just wasn’t sure how. She was the daughter of a single mom who hadn’t gone to college, a self-described “poor kid” who, while very smart, was one of those kids “getting into trouble, not taking anything seriously and definitely not focused.”
Peterson’s success story
Today, she’s a successful graduate of the College of Engineering. While she doesn’t design roller coasters, she’s had a long career in the tech industry. She’s a staunch advocate for the University’s TRIO programs – federally funded programs supporting students from income-qualified or first-generation backgrounds — which led to her success.
Peterson recently received the College’s Scrugham Medal, given to distinguished graduates, and has been recognized by the national nonprofit Council for Opportunity in Education as a TRIO Achiever.
“She’s just amazing. She’s brilliant, and she’s so humble,” Ellen Houston ’96, ’05 M.A., executive director of the University’s First Generation Student Center (FGSC) said.
The FGSC manages the University’s TRIO programs, including Upward Bound, which has been on the University campus for 55 years, helping high school students prepare for college. It was this program that Peterson participated in as a Wooster High School student.
“I wouldn’t have made it through high school without [Upward Bound],” Peterson said. “I wouldn’t have even considered college, and I definitely wouldn’t have thrived in college.”
How key mentors and connections shaped Peterson’s journey
Peterson did thrive, and she credits many people for supporting her along the way. Those include Engineering Interim Dean Indira Chatterjee, one of her instructors, and fellow mechanical engineering student Candice Bauer ’01 (mechanical engineering), ’08 M.A., now Engineering’s assistant dean.
“We spent a lot of time studying together in the ASME (American Society for Mechanical Engineering) lounge,” Bauer recalled. The two graduated in 2001. Since then, Peterson has held key roles at Microsoft and Meta and started a family. Currently, she is the senior director of cybersecurity compliance at Microsoft.
She also works with the University’s FGSC. Bringing her path to a full circle, Peterson now shares her story with first-generation students at the beginning of their journeys. “She’s so great with our students,” Houston said.
“She talks about how and where she grew up, and our students can relate to that.”