Alumni - MIT GEL

Alumni

An Exceptional Community

Join the MIT-GEL Alumni LinkedIn Group! This is an interactive forum for our alumni to engage with each other and the GEL program. We invite you to use this group to share ideas, achievements, career advice, and opportunities. Join now.

Read about GEL alumni who return annually to support the Project Engineering course at Camp Cody.

Alumni Spotlights

Evan Hostetler '22 BS, Mechanical Engineering+-

Evan Hostetler ’22

BS, Mechanical Engineering

“My GEL experience is one of the most valuable of my undergrad. Engineering is such a team sport. You have to be able to effectively lead and work on teams to execute really hard engineering problems.”
Jesse Adler ’17 BS, Aerospace Engineering+-

Jesse Adler ’17

BS, Aerospace Engineering

“You can’t be effective in the world without human skills—communication, teamwork, influence, motivation.”

“When I first came to MIT, I wanted to do something big,” says Jesse Adler ’17. “For me at the time, that meant working for an organization like Apple or SpaceX on technology that had a significant global impact. Thanks to GEL, I got the chance to do both.”

A native Aussie, Jesse’s first visit to the United States was for his MIT orientation. He quickly found a home in the community: competing on the crew team, performing a cappella, and diving into aerospace engineering. It was his classmates and teammates who recommended GEL to him. “Everyone told me, ‘If you want to be a leader, you need to do GEL.’” And so that’s what he did.

For Jesse, Engineering Leadership Labs were revelatory. “There’s a limit to what you can accomplish in a classroom setting,” he explains, “but the practical experiences, schema, theories, and way of thinking that GEL imparted could very easily apply in any number of other contexts. It was wildly fantastic.” To this day, he continues to refer back to the Capabilities of Effective Engineering Leaders when making tough decisions. “In school, your questions all have answers. In the real world, you need to learn to make decisions when the outcomes are uncertain. To teach students in a classroom environment that the world is actually a very uncertain place is challenging but critical.”

After MIT, Jesse went to work at Apple on the team manufacturing iPhones. He recalls one very specific occasion where he was forced to make a decision in the face of uncertainty. “We heard that there was a quality assurance issue with one of our parts, and we needed to decide if we were going to continue manufacturing or put production on hold while the issue was investigated. I was on the phone with members of my team trying to determine if 80,000 people were going to come to work that day.” Thanks to GEL, he was prepared to handle that situation.

Richard Agbeyibor ’12 BS, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science+-

Richard Agbeyibor ’12

BS, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

“The people you meet in GEL are one of the greatest benefits. They are folks who will go on to do amazing things—and who you will always be able to count on.”

Richard Agbeyibor ’12—known to his friends as Coco—moved to the United States from Togo when he was 12 years old to escape the political conditions in his home country. As with many young people, his love for engineering began with LEGO and then transitioned to small electronics and computers. “I was happiest when manipulating physical objects. I was fascinated by these little black boxes that could do magical things—I would take them apart to investigate their mechanical parts and circuit boards. I wanted to understand everything about how they worked.”

At MIT, Coco had abundant opportunities to discover the science and theory of engineering, but he soon realized that he wanted more hands-on experiences. That led him to join GEL, which was a new program at the Institute at the time. His cohort was instrumental in developing and pressure-testing Engineering Leadership Labs, which are to this day one of the most beloved aspects of the GEL curriculum. “We had the chance to play the role of engineering stakeholders in a way that we couldn’t in our other MIT courses. I wanted to be an engineer that makes things, that could bring a vision to reality—through GEL, I saw that I needed other people to realize bigger and more influential systems.”

Coco joined the military after graduation, where he distinguished himself among his fellow cadets thanks to his ability to see the bigger picture and communicate his thinking with others. “In Togo, I saw that people with power could persecute others and exercise it negatively,” he recalls. “My decision to serve in the military came from a desire to exercise my power positively—to be a person who could fight for justice on behalf of those who couldn’t on their own.” He is currently a flight test engineer and a highly competitive candidate for astronaut school. He’s also enrolled in a robotics PhD program studying how to make autonomous aircraft a reality—a topic that integrates his diverse experiences. “There are so many questions tied up in this field. Can we design a vertical takeoff aircraft that would help with commuting? Or to perform medical evacuations? Or deliver cargo. There’s a lot of talk about drone delivery systems. How can you tell when a front yard is empty and when it’s safe to drop a package? And so on.”

In reflecting on his time at GEL, there’s one thing Coco wants to emphasize. “The people you meet through the program are one of the greatest benefits. They are folks who will go on to do amazing things—and who you will always be able to count on. I think of my fellow GEL alums as my own personal board members.”

Vanessa Kitova ’21 BS, Chemistry and Biological Engineering+-

Vanessa Kitova ’21

BS, Chemistry and Biological Engineering

“One of the most important things I learned was how to make sound decisions in the face of uncertainty. This is critical in modern life and fast-paced work environments.”

Vanessa Kitova ’21 knew early in her MIT career that she wanted to join GEL. “As soon as you start walking the MIT halls as a bright-eyed first year, you will encounter the smiling faces on GEL posters,” she says. “The reason I wanted to join was because of the enthusiasm of the GEL students and alumni I met. People’s eyes don’t light up like that when they talk about organic chemistry.”

Once she became a GEL student, Vanessa understood what the excitement was all about. She thrived in the Engineering Leadership Lab, where she collaborated with classmates to tackle projects that tested their communication, negotiation, and problem-solving skills just as much as their technical knowledge. She recalls, “One of the most important things I learned was how to make sound decisions in the face of uncertainty. This is critical in modern life and fast-paced work environments—how to evaluate your options, how to make a choice, when to change your mind. I rely on these lessons all the time in my current job and in my personal life.”

Following graduation, Vanessa volunteered as an MIT tennis coach while working on Business Analytics at Bristol Myers Squibb—and she would wholeheartedly recommend GEL to her players. “I always tell people you will use the things you learn in GEL more than what you learn in your major, no matter what you end up doing. It’s rewarding, it’s fun, and you’ll develop skills and emotional intelligence you can’t get anywhere else.”

Simran Pabla ’20 ’21 BS, Computer Science and Engineering MEng, Computer Science+-

Simran Pabla ’20 ’21

BS, Computer Science and Engineering MEng, Computer Science

“Growing up I thought that leadership meant that you could stand up in front of a room and present your ideas clearly and loudly,” Simran explains. “Thanks to GEL, I realized that leadership was much more complex and nuanced than that—and this was a life-changing realization.”

“I was concerned that I was too ‘nice’ and that this might be a flaw holding me back from starting my own company,” she continues. “My GEL mentors and classmates showed me that I did have the capacity to lead—and they would point to specific moments and experiences during the program where I exhibited the skills and capabilities of leadership.”

In addition to the relationships she built with her peers, Simran is extremely grateful for the opportunity to engage in leadership labs. “The magic of GEL is in its complexity, in the depth of feedback you receive regarding who you are and how you lead, and in its ability to help you personally grow. It’s amazing how clearly I still remember my leadership labs—but that’s because they were all so revelatory.”

TojumiOluwa Adegboyega '20 BS, Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering+-

TojumiOluwa Adegboyega ’20

BS, Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering

“GEL was the highlight of my junior and senior years at MIT”, recalls TojumiOluwa (Towa) Adegboyega. It’s intellectually fascinating to consider how engineering intersects with the metrics of success in the real world—trying to meet deadlines and performance targets, trying to satisfy customers, all the things you have to tackle as a professional engineer.”

Of all the skills she gained at MIT, she is particularly grateful to have intentionally developed her capacity to make decisions in the face of uncertainty—one of GEL’s recognized capabilities of effective engineering leaders. “I am currently a product line manager at Corning,” she says, “and it’s my job to make decisions about everything from pricing and product design to manufacturing specifications. It’s critical to be able to work with limited information to make sound decisions, and then to reevaluate those choices over time.”

Towa says it was space exploration that first drew her to engineering—and to MIT. After graduation, GEL helped connect her to engineers actively working in her area of interest. “Before Corning, I joined General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, where I worked for a GEL alum thanks to a GEL connection. The strength of this community is one of its greatest assets, and I continue to prize it as an alum just as I did as a student.”

Our 1,300+ GEL alumni work in diverse engineering fields around the world.

GEL graduates excel at top-tier companies such as Apple, Adobe, Boeing, Bose, Google, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Shell, and SpaceX. They also serve in the U.S. Armed Forces and civilian government agencies such as NASA. How has GEL impacted their careers?  (from alumni survey)

Photo 1

RECOMMEND GEL TO CURRENT STUDENTS

Photo 2

ATTRIBUTE CAREER ADVANCEMENT TO THEIR TIME IN GEL

Photo 3

ARE IN LEADERSHIP ROLES AT ENGINEERING COMPANIES

Photo 4

REMAIN IN ENGINEERING OR RELATED FIELDS

 

But numbers tell only part of the story. The full value of being a GEL alum includes the personal connections and professional networking opportunities that continue long after graduation.

Our alumni are a vibrant and growing component of the GEL community. GEL students forge special bonds at MIT that remain strong as they advance in their careers. They become part of a network of fellow GEL alumni who offer advice, guidance, and connections. Alums also have ongoing support from program staff at every stage of their professional journeys.

It all starts with staying in touch! If you are a GEL alum, we invite you to share your milestones, celebrate your achievements, or ask for some career advice. Please contact Eileen Milligan, Student and Industry Relations Manager, emillign@mit.edu, to be added to our emailing list and learn about exclusive alumni events.

At GEL, your journey to success is just beginning; the relationships you cultivate now will drive your career forward for many years to come.

Alumni Engagement Opportunities

Engineers in the Room+-

We invite alums actively working in engineering industries or related positions to participate in our weekly Engineering Leadership Labs in a variety of capacities. Please contact John Feiler jmfeiler@mit.edu to learn how to get involved.

Attend Alumni Events+-

Attend GEL Community events to reconnect with fellow alums and meet current students throughout the year.Keeping your contact info updated will allow us to send you exclusive invitations to GEL student and alumni socials and reunions.

Mentor Current GEL Students+-

Share your early career experiences and guide our current students as a mentor. Our students cherish the opportunity to connect with alumni, forming meaningful relationships that significantly influence their early career decisions. To explore local and remote mentorship opportunities, please contact John Feiler. jmfeiler@mit.edu.

Participate in our Annual Project Engineering Course at Camp Cody+-

You probably fondly remember the course and Camp Cody, enjoying the experience; insights from alumni, skiing and tubing at King Pin, and of course the fantastic food! We are looking for talented alumni who can commit to attending and participating in the course as subject matter experts based on their work experience. Each year, 4-5 alumni serve as project mentors, assistant instructors, and panel discussion participants. If you would like to be considered or have any questions, please contact John Feiler.

Advocate for Your Company With GEL+-

Our alumni recognize the vital importance of introducing current students to a diverse array of engineering companies and careers. We frequently seek their help to expand our engineering employer network by serving as a liaison between their company and the GEL Program or by sharing job postings with us. Whether you have entry-level openings for internships or full-time positions for current GELs, or advanced-level opportunities for the GEL alumni network, we are here to assist you in sharing those postings.

Reach out to GEL

CONTACT US

 

Make a Gift to GEL

Prioritize supporting the GEL Program with your donation. This unique opportunity allows you to shape the future of the program and its students, helping them enhance their communication, teamwork, and engineering leadership skills that are vital for their future success.