In July, Sue Sontgerath ’88 became the new chair of the Women of WPI, which provides an opportunity for women in the WPI community to connect, support, and engage with one another.
On November 16, the Women of WPI are hosting “Recognizing Burnout in Yourself and Others,” a personal and professional development workshop. (Learn more and register here.) Ahead of the event, we caught up with Sue to learn more about her, her role in the Women of WPI, and the event.
Q: Tell us about yourself!
A: I graduated in 1988 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. My experience at WPI was really amazing. I made some lifelong friends, got to travel to Ireland for my IQP (a huge growth experience) and most importantly learned how to study and work collaboratively. Although I didn’t stay in engineering, with the plan and the projects you are really pushed as a student to think outside the box and challenge yourself. I think the critical thinking and problem-solving skills I developed at WPI have helped me in all aspects of my life both professionally and personally.
I recently retired from my higher ed administration job at Wentworth Institute of Technology. My husband is retiring at the end of the year. We look forward to lots of travel, hiking, cooking and hopefully not driving each other crazy. We have two daughters. One works in admissions at WPI and the other works and lives in Costa Rica. We hope to spend some of the winter months in Costa Rica.
Q: What does the Women of WPI offer you as an alumna?
A: In one word "connection"- to other women who also experienced WPI. For those of us in the earlier decades there is a shared experience of being one of the few. But it is also wonderful to interact with the women from later decades and hear their experience. In the group, we have women from the 70s to the 2020s and it makes for such a rich experience. Everyone is at a different stage of life from retirees and grandmothers to mid-career professionals, new moms and women in their first jobs. But we all have WPI in common and can connect on so many levels. That diversity of experience is especially important when we plan events that will be interesting to the widest group of other alumnae. I really look forward to getting this group together and brainstorming our outings and programs.
Q: Share more about the November event and what participants can expect.
A: The Women of WPI Steering committee always tries to pick a conference topic that will be relevant to a large cross-section of women. We felt this topic might resonate with many women no matter where they are at in their career or personal life. Whether you are a new professional, new mom, newly promoted, newly retired or a caregiver to a family member, you have probably experienced burnout at some point. Our presenter Laurel Boivin also experienced burnout. She took what she learned navigating that time in her life and built a new career helping others. I am looking forward to hearing her tips and tricks for navigating burnout in our own lives and supporting our loved ones as well.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
A: I would love to extend a couple of thank yous. First of all to Kathy Vignaly, Joyce Kline, Rachel Delisle and the others who founded the group. Excellent idea! To all the chairs who came before me, thanks for keeping the group alive. And most important, thank you to Maureen Maynard, our unsung hero who keeps us all honest and really makes everything happen behind the scenes.