The power of inspiration

Editor's note: This is part of a series of profiles for spring 2016 commencement. See the rest here.

The May 9 Undergraduate Commencement will be a special memory for Arizona State University’s new graduates, but for Kimberly Coley, there’s another experience that will stand out: the Young Women in Business (YWiB) event sponsored by Intel.

There the business law major in the W. P. Carey School of Business learned about ways women could apply their passion for business to a variety of settings, how a supply chain works and professional advice from guest speaker Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook.

“As a woman, it can be hard to break into certain business sectors,” Coley said. “According to Forbes, over 50 percent of the U.S. population consists of women; however, only 14.6 percent are executive officers. I learned at the YWiB event that it could change especially if more women knew about the different opportunities that require a variation of skills that are available to them. For instance, a woman that has experience in the financial sector may not realize that it could be applied to a general executive officer position.”

Coley, who transferred to ASU from Estrella Mountain Community College, said Sandberg’s speech on the importance of pursuing professional ambitions and creating a foundation to pass the movement on was inspiring.

“Providing a foundation for what we want to pursue is crucial for our future because it could create a sense of resilience and perseverance,” Coley said. “… The incorporation of resilience and perseverance can continue to reignite even the smallest flicker of hope in us and could drive us to our goals.”

No matter what hardships she might face, Coley said she will always look back on that event and remember that anything is possible.

Before she graduates this month, she answered some questions about her college experience.

Question: What was your “aha” moment, when you realized you wanted to study the field you majored in?

Answer: My "aha" moment came when I was in grade school and was thinking about what I would do with my life if money/wage was not a deciding factor. I had known I wanted to be an attorney at very young age, but became more and more interested in business. So when I begin attending Estrella Mountain Community College, I took advantage of gaining a legal (administration of justice) and business background. I enjoyed being able to learn about business and the legal field.

Q: What’s something you learned while at ASU — in the classroom or otherwise — that surprised you, that changed your perspective?

A: Networking is a crucial part of beginning a career. As a natural introvert, I used to shy away from networking events because I did not realize how important they could be to my field of study and my overall career. Now, I know that networking does not have to be awkward or something to be afraid of. There a lot of people that would jump at the chance to speak to (in general) students that are looking to further their career. The first step in finding them is to not be afraid to reach out to them, secondly, ask questions and finally be ready to listen.

Q: Why did you choose ASU?

A: When it was time for me to decide what university I wanted to attend, the mere fact that ASU offered a business law degree and had a pathways program [a transfer-simplification process] made me even more determined to attend ASU and not another university. Plus, the tuition seemed to be the most affordable.

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to those still in school?

A: My advice for those that are still in school is to never give up and do not be afraid to ask for help. As students, we tend to take on the stress from school, work and our personal lives. There are a team of people that are out there waiting for students to ask them for help. From the people at the tutoring centers to career advisers to potential mentors, there are people out there rooting for your success — just ask.

Q: What was your favorite spot on campus, whether for studying, meeting friends or just thinking about life?

A: My favorite spot on campus was the Earth and Space Exploration building.

Q: What are your plans after graduation?

A: After graduation I plan on focusing on my career and traveling more.

Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, what would you tackle?

A: I would tackle the lack of food/water resources for poverty-stricken people. I would donate $40 million to a company by the name of Skipping Rocks Lab, the creators of Ooho! an alternative to plastic water bottles that can also be eaten. I would donate $40 million to them because they are trying to tackle more than just the ability to deliver clean, drinkable water to people, but also an alternative to using plastic bottles that hurt the environment. Plus, the water container being edible could expand to providing, flavorful and refreshing (essential) nutrients to anyone that eats the container.

Ooho! being something that is cheap to make could be given to poverty-stricken individuals for little to no money. With $40 million, I believe this project could expand to being bigger and better than its current state and fix some, if not all of the shortcomings they currently have with the product.