MOMENTS AND MEMORIES
WITH MARIE (TERNES) COLEMAN
CURRENT POSITION: Structural Project Engineer at Coughlin Porter Lundeen
LOCATION: Seattle, Washington
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN DEGREE: BSE Civil and Environmental Engineering/MSE Civil and Environmental Engineering
GRADUATION YEAR: 2011 (Bachelor's), 2012 (Master's)
ACTIVITIES AT MICHIGAN: Pops was my main extracurricular, but I also was a GSI, did undergrad research in the CEE department, and studied abroad in Australia. I also loved going to football games and played lots of intramural sports!
MICHIGAN POPS ORCHESTRA INSTRUMENT: French Horn
Watch and listen to one of Marie's favorite pieces while you read about her Pops Life!
A CONVERSATION WITH MARIE
KELLY COMPTON, our Pops Life correspondent, reminisces with Marie about her favorite Pops moments and finds out how her experience gave her the confidence to get through life's stressors with a smile.
KC: Marie, tell us about your musical background and what drew you to the Pops!
MC: I was in marching band and orchestra in high school as well as in musical theater. I always knew that music wouldn't be my career, but it was my favorite hobby. I didn't want playing music to end just because I graduated high school, so I asked people around my home town for ways I could continue playing music at Michigan. A friend of a friend told me about Pops and described it as “a casual orchestra that plays real music.” She mentioned all of the fun antics and playful nature of the group, and I knew I wanted to join.
KC: What are some of your favorite Pops memories?
MC: I was in MPO from the first semester of freshman year to my last semester of grad school, 11 total concerts! Coming from Troy, MI, I knew a lot of other students at Michigan. Pops was the first place I went where I was the only Troy High grad (that I knew anyway), and I really enjoyed making new friends.
Some of the people I met in Pops I am still great friends with. They have stood the test of time and are rooted in something that we had in common, music. As a freshman, it felt like so much of the college experience was focused on drinking. I ended up really valuing the friendships that I made through Pops because it was about creating music and having fun (with a side of drinking ;) ). But because of that, the relationships were stronger than I was finding anywhere else.
Some of my favorite memories:
- Obviously every concert ever. I loved concert day. Best two days of the year.
- Meeting Kevin McDonough. I remember thinking he was a PhD student when he was a sophomore because he had mad-scientist hair. I think I could see the future because he now has a PhD.
- Making falafel with him for like 6 hours before a Pops progressive
- Dressing up with Tina Wu (shake-weight included), and never winning a Beer Pong game.
- Joining the Pops board. I loved the meetings, coming up with fun new ideas and hanging out with awesome people.
- Pops ski trips and the endless icing (ie. Smirnoff Icing). The best Ice ever came from Seth Buchsbaum where he hid a Smirnoff Ice in a giant chocolate bunny that I "won" after we played a game that he had fixed.
KC: Where are you now? How did the Pops play a role in your decision to pursue engineering?
MC: I'm in Seattle now! But immediately after finishing grad school at U of M, I moved to NYC. I lived there for 3 years before moving to Seattle with my now husband. I always planned on being an Engineer, but Pops definitely helped me succeed. There were so many engineers in Pops; there was always someone around who could help me out, especially as an underclassman. It also widened my network beyond my class, so I could see what being a senior engineering student was like. Or what grad school was like. Or PhD! I loved the variety of people, engineers and others that I only met because of Pops.
KC: How do you think your career, relationships, and general mindset have been shaped by your experience with the Pops?
MC: Putting a concert together as a member of the Pops Board is easily the most fun I've had while doing something stressful. Balancing Pops and a full course load was not easy, but it definitely showed me that staying positive and being collaborative are the best way to get through a stressful time. In my current career, I work on a lot of big teams, and maintaining good relationships with everyone isn't easy. But at the end of the day, we have to work together to create something (in my case, buildings!), and it’s always better to try working together rather than against each other, even if we are coming from different points of view.
KC: What advice would you give to orchestra members interested in engineering?
MC: Don't skip out on things because you have homework or a test coming up. A lot of young engineering students get overwhelmed and start skipping rehearsal because they are stressed out. It’s hard to believe, but the stress never goes away. As an engineer you will always be working towards a deadline and be trying to figure something out. It is important to learn to manage your time so that you are able to take time for yourself to do the things you enjoy. When you get a job and are working full time, it is going to be even harder to create time for your hobbies. Take advantage of the fact that Pops is there for the taking!
KC: What does Pops mean to you personally?
MC: I always say Pops was the single best thing I did at Michigan. Don't get me wrong, I am very proud of my degrees, and I obviously use them every day. But it is rare to be able to work with other motivated individuals who share your same interests. Pops gave me a sense of accomplishment every semester. I will talk about our concerts to anyone who will listen and would join again in a heartbeat if I could.
MARIE'S FAVORITES
- TV SHOW OF ALL TIME: Parks and Recreation
- AWESOME BAND: Alabama Shakes
- SNACK: A perfectly ripe nectarine
- RESTAURANT IN ANN ARBOR AND SEATTLE: A2 - Ashley's. Seattle - Il Corvo.
- OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES: Running, hiking, camping
- POPS PIECE: Jupiter...twice!
- CRAZY VACATION STORY: Finding a scorpion in my backpack in Costa Rica...yes, the deadly kind
6/1/18