Alumni Blog

Tresha Lacaux, ’07, has always had a passion for creating things.  Her career journey started in the family business of making stained glass windows.  Looking to combine her creative thinking with her passion for engineering, she pursued a career in aerospace.  “I have always had a passion for airplanes, so I made the career switch and enrolled at Virginia Tech where I studied aerospace and naval engineering.”

A few years into her studies at Virginia Tech, an opportunity arose for her family to re-locate to Seattle and Lacaux discovered Seattle University. “Seattle University did not offer aerospace degrees, but for my passions and what I wanted to pursue—to be able to understand mechanisms and structures of an aircraft—a mechanical engineering degree was a fantastic fit because it is so versatile,” said Lacaux. As an undergraduate, she loved Seattle U’s mission-driven lens, enjoyed valuable hands on-experience and developed personal connections with faculty. Through listening to guest speakers and working on her capstone project, Lacaux broadened her understanding of the professional applications of mechanical engineering.

Now an alumna, Lacaux continues to feel empowered by her SU education. “The mission-driven aspect of my education at SU continues to influence the way that I approach my work. It makes you think a lot more about the human element in engineering and innovation.” 

Lacaux remains inspired to engage with the College of Science and Engineering. She serves on the Mechanical Engineering Industry Advisory board where she reviews student capstone projects and provides feedback on the type of skills that newly graduating students need to have to become employed. She also helped shape the structural and mechanical engineering graduate curriculum and has volunteered to speak in classrooms. “One of my favorite things to do is come in and talk about what you can do with your mechanical engineering degree and the experiences that I’ve had.” Most recently, during the pandemic, she served as a speaker to give a perspective on the job market in her field and shared the outlook during an unprecedented time in the workplace.

“After one of my speaking sessions during the pandemic, students reached out to me on LinkedIn expressing their appreciation for my perspective. Anytime I can have a small, positive influence on someone is considered a good day in my book. It is one small way that I can give back to a program that offered me those same experiences,” said Lacaux.

Even with her increasingly busy schedule as the 787 Director of Airplane Level Integration, Lacaux still finds time to give back to the community that helped her gain her industry perspective. “One of the most important and valuable things that we can do as alumni is share how the knowledge you gain in the classroom applies in industry. Hearing real-life examples from the workplace and how what you are learning is used in different settings helped me and is really important for current students to hear.” 

By giving your time and expertise, students are inspired and equipped to enter the workforce after their time at Seattle U. “I would always love to volunteer more. I find that whenever I make the time, I am so energized afterwards, and that it is worth it. Just being there to answer questions on a student’s mind is really beneficial,” said Lacaux.  

Be a part of Our Moment for Mission: The President’s Challenge to help empower students and impact the world for the better by volunteering your time at a college, school or program that means the most to you. View a listing of volunteer opportunities on our website.  

Graduation hasn’t stopped Terren Drake, ’14, from returning to Seattle U and giving back to the Albers School of Business and Economics. Drake currently works for PACCAR—a global leader in design manufacture and customer support of high-quality premium trucks—as the Director of Used Equipment for the US and Canada at PACCAR Financial. “I joined PACCAR immediately after graduating from the MBA program at SU. One of the best parts about working for PACCAR is their philosophy. They want to develop well-rounded leaders that understand different facets of the business and the interconnectivity of the company. It affords employees the opportunity to do a lot of different things,” said Drake.

His educational experience and the MBA program’s emphasis on networking taught him the importance of nurturing and building professional relationships while looking for opportunities to add value to other people’s experience. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Seattle U. I developed the ability to network and build professional relationships during my time at Seattle U and it has paid dividends in my professional career as I have navigated PACCAR culture,” said Drake.

After joining the PACCAR team and completing the management program, Drake relocated to Chicago to work for a few years. Upon his return to Seattle, he reached out to the Albers Mentor Program, wanting to become a mentor after having participated in the program as a mentee. “I walked away from my MBA experience with so much. I felt I received more than what I had learned in the classroom and wanted to continue to be a part of that. As I moved back, it became an ideal way to reconnect with Seattle U and hopefully give back to others the same way my mentors invested in me while I was in the program,” said Drake.

 “There are other MBA students that I was in the program with that also felt compelled to give back and remain connected. A good friend of mine who I met at Albers is also a mentor. He and I will sometimes meet with each other’s mentees. Our professional experiences are different, so the ability to provide differing perspectives is a value add to the students.”

Drake’s unique perspective on participating in the program first as a student made the prospect of mentorship initially daunting, but after realizing his personal experience and the lessons he learned could be valuable to others, he settled in and continues to share his story with his mentees.

Helping other people with similar professional experiences, watching peers make choices about next steps and valuing lifelong learning fuels Drake’s motivation to continue to mentor graduate students. “A lot of people are still trying to figure out what they want to do and where they want to go. To be able to help people navigate that transition feels familiar to me and to be able to share my experience navigating that process is something that I enjoy,” said Drake.

He often finds that while providing advice or feedback to mentees, he gains perspective, learns new principles and believes that it is a way to stay abreast new ideas happening in the business world. “It’s easy to get stuck in a routine, but it’s nice to come up for air and find a different outlet to provide value.”

There are many ways to get involved with the Albers School of Business and Economics. “The more that we are connected and engage with each other, the more it will open a world of opportunities to us when we are at places in our lives when we want to make a change,” said Drake. Find a volunteer opportunity that is meaningful to you and be a part of Our Moment for Mission: The President’s Challenge by joining the Albers Alumni Board, providing feedback on student resumes or serving as a judge on the Harriet Stephenson Business Plan Competition.

• Sign Up to Volunteer Today

• Become a mentor to students and alumni on Redhawk Landing