|
 She
had her doubts when she entered the University of Houston
in 1967. But, she persevered and became the first African
American woman to graduate from UH’s chemical
engineering program—magna cum
laude—thank you
very much. For alumna Cynthia Coleman (’71), she
felt empowered and encouraged to carry out her mission
to “encourage others, especially women and minorities
to study engineering.” And this was only the beginning.
Coleman’s perseverance fueled a storied career with
a lifelong passion to inspire others including her younger
sister, Patrice Oliver Yarbough (’80, ’85),
to achieve their dreams.
During her career with ExxonMobil, she coordinated
the Exxon Minority Engineering Scholarship Program; served
as a member of the Exxon/University of Houston engineering
recruiting team; and was developer of the Exxon/High School
for Engineering Profession business school partnership.
After balancing a career and a family of Cougars—husband,
Leonard (’70) and daughter, Kelly (’98)—for
more than thirty years, Coleman retired in 2004. Now, nearly forty years after graduating from UH and with
numerous accomplishments under her belt, Coleman—HAO’s
2007 Outstanding Volunteer—continues to remain connected
to her alma mater. |
