ABOUT
HANNAH COLEY
HANNAH COLEY
Product Design & Research Leader
Strengths:
Strategy, Adaptability, Resilience, Resourcefulness, and Connection
Hobbies:
Snowboarding, Painting, 3D Printing, & Travel
Location:
Colorado, U.S.A
01 About Hannah Coley
Introduction
Hello, my name is Hannah Coley. I am a fun-loving, ambitious, tenacious, and creative person. I am a very multi-faceted person and I feel like listing a bunch of adjectives to describe myself is inadequate. I will describe certain aspects of my experience that have shaped me into the person that I am today.
My Heritage
I am half-Korean and half-[German-Scottish-Irish-French]. I truly love my mixed heritage. I feel that it gives me a really unique perspective of the world and I love that I do not fit neatly into just one box or category because I find it infinitely more interesting to embrace my unique background... I am just me. My Korean mother was very adamant that I grew up understanding Korean culture and traditions. She ensured that I learned the Korean language and that our family was inclusive of our Korean heritage. My mom is my hero and I admire her tremendously.
My Nomadic Life
I have spent the majority of my life as a nomad because I grew up in a military family and that tradition is continuing because I am now a military spouse. Although I have lived in many places, Colorado is HOME. Colorado has my heart. I was born there and it is the place where I have spent the majority of my adolescence and 20-30’s.
I have been lucky enough to have lived in a ton of interesting and exciting places such as Germany, Korea, Washington D.C., the San Francisco Bay Area, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
I am grateful for the opportunities I was given to live in vastly different geographies and cultures. It has broadened my perspective of the world and has created an awareness of just how different people can be, but more importantly how similar and connected we all are despite our differences. This lifestyle has taught me the importance of adaptability and flexibility. I am grateful for the challenges, opportunities, and valuable character-building moments this lifestyle has afforded me.
My Scientific & Engineering Background
I have been a polymer chemist/materials engineer for ~10 years before I transitioned into design. I have a master’s degree in Material Science & Engineering and I have worked on a ton of awesome and interesting projects, such as Department of Defense projects that have applications that aid our war-fighters in the field, collaborations with Boeing to increase fuel economy, forensic chemistry, and I have designed and created many amazing smart materials formulations for a variety of applications (shape memory polymers and self-healing glassy polymers).
Working in a STEM career has taught me that I can learn ANYTHING. It has taught me that when you have an insatiable curiosity, access to the internet and other resources, and the ambition to tackle a difficult problem, there isn’t anything that you can’t teach yourself. It also demonstrates that I am capable of understanding complex domains.
I was designing with a different medium during this part of my life. Most of the skills that I gained as a scientist/engineer still translate. I am a very skilled researcher, data analyst, and creative problem-solver, which has proven to transcend disciplines.
My Dream
My dream is to continue to wake up every day and do the things I love. I want to continue to grow my design skills while inspiring others. I want to mentor others that are brave enough to take a leap of faith to choose a different path that leads them to happiness. I want to push people to be the best they can be.
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Eventually, I want to use my success to be a philanthropist. I want to be able to make an impact on the world and help people that are suffering.
