SNAP your fingers…that’s how fast my thirty-year career in
R&D seems to have passed, but that’s a good thing, a GREAT thing! Now in my first year of retirement, I have
the opportunity to reflect upon how I got here…what and who were my greatest
influencers…and how I can give back!
At age 18, it is impossible to know where your life will take you
and even more difficult to appreciate the significance of your earliest
decisions. For me, as a quiet
individual, the thought of attending a large university was daunting; living in
a crowded, cookie-cutter dorm room quite frankly, scared me to death. The appeal of UM-Dearborn was refreshing…a
smaller campus, intimate class sizes, excellent faculty with a genuine interest
in shaping our LEADERS and BEST, and a MICHIGAN degree! Although I was accepted in Ann Arbor and at
State, my first and in retrospect, my best decision was made…I would attend
UM-D!
As a Freshman, I entered UM-D without the slightest inkling that
I would become a chemistry major and pursue a philosophy minor, as a matter of
fact, I was quite certain that I was destined to be a medical
technologist! So what happened? CASL happened…and it happened fast! By the end of my Freshman year, Drs. O’Shea
and Potts had inspired me to love chemistry, and Dr. Dutton (Philosophy) had
seeded my lifetime love of problem-solving and critical thinking! I departed on a road that I never knew
existed and the opportunities were endless.
I was fascinated by the course work, was able to conduct laboratory
research on various topics with five different chemistry faculty members, and
worked in the Department of Natural Sciences as a stockroom attendant, lab
assistant, and exam grader. The
availability of this “hands-on” experience prepared me well for graduate
school, but it was the guidance of Dr. Bertrand and his wife Charla that
further propelled me to study under the world renown atomic spectroscopist, Dr.
Velmer Fassel, the Assistant Director of the Ames Laboratory at Iowa State
University. You see, Charla had worked
for Dr. Fassel, while her husband (Dr. Bertrand) was in graduate school at ISU
and she highly recommended Fassel, which gets back to how grateful I am for
faculty that truly had my back! We still
exchange Christmas card to this day!
With the foundation that CASL afforded me, how could I help but
be anything but successful? I thoroughly
enjoyed my career in R&D for The Dow Chemical Company, Michigan Molecular
Institute, Caltech Industries, and most recently, an Associate Research Fellow
with The Clorox Company.
But the story doesn’t end there!
My husband is also an UM-D CASL (and ISU) chemistry graduate and
continues to enjoy his career in R&D at The Dow Chemical Company. We are also very proud that our two boys
decided to attend UM-D. Our oldest
graduated in 2014 with a degree Computer Science and Mathematics…he is now
employed by a software development company in Troy, MI. Our youngest is currently a Sophomore,
pursuing a degree in Earth Science (Geology) and Anthropology. We are truly a UM-Dearborn Family!
As for giving back, we have always felt it has been important to
provide annual financial support to UM-D.
More recently, I have been a member of the CASL Dean’s Advisory
Board. Being connected to UM-D again has
been so refreshing. Watching my children
flourish and grow at UM-Dearborn has been delightful. Thirty-seven years have passed since I
attended UM-D and still, the key elements that attracted me to this university
have remained true, 1) a smaller campus, 2) intimate class size, 3) dedicated
faculty, and 4) a MICHIGAN degree. These
are elements that truly make UM-D unique in a sea of universities!
I’d be happy to chat more about my experiences at UM-D and can be
reached at the e-mail address below.
In the words of the great Robert Frost,
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
…The DEARBORN DIFFERENCE!
GO BLUE!
Kim LaFreniere, Ph.D.
CASL, 1979
kim.lafreniere@yahoo.com