ALUMNAE
TOGETHER, #1 By Amanda Tukaj ’15
Mary Cao ‘14 and Jackie Salwa ‘14 went not merely through four years of high school together as friends, but then Boston University and now Harvard Law School. After a decade together as classmates, they say there’s no doubt: Tech was the hardest academic experience of their lives. Jackie, who started her law school journey a year ahead of Mary, supports and mentors her friend. “Going to Brooklyn Tech is a very distinctive experience. To have someone who knows exactly what I’ve been going through has been really helpful,” Mary said. “Jackie helped me so much with my essays when applying to law school and how to structure my LSAT studying schedule…. although we came from a very competitive environment, we’re able to work together.” Both former Law & Society majors, they say Tech taught them not only the importance of hard work, but also to help others. “It’s not a zero-sum game,” Jackie said. “And I don’t think either of us would have gotten as far as we have if we didn’t have that understanding.” Covid-19 complicated their academic experience, but the friendship continued strong. Even in difficult times, they grabbed morning coffee together at outdoor cafes in their downtime. “It is pretty unique to have someone who not only went through high school, college, and law school with you, but that you are also really close friends,” Mary said. “I hope that in our professional careers we’re able to continue uplifting each other.” ■
That’s Lucy on the left and Willa on the right at graduation 2021
TOGETHER, #2
Back in 2018 TechTimes spotlighted identical twins Lucy and Willa Meissner, freshmen already on a trajectory to excel. “We stick together all the time,” they told us then. Their back-story revealed why: the bonds of sisterhood provided the strength to help them through a family tragedy. The 2021 update: true to form, both young women majored together in Applied Mathematics and, at June’s graduation, joined the ➜ Tech alumni family. And that signaled life’s next adventure: college. Only for now, the togetherness is online: Lucy is a freshman at Carnegie Mellon; Willa is at McGill University. “Though we’ll be in different countries for college, we know that we always have each other’s backs, no matter how far away we get,” Lucy said. ■
FAM I LY
Mary (left) and Jackie (right) meet up at Harvard Yard.
PHOTO; JASPER WALDMAN ’20
“When people see us in a hallway or in a room together, there’s a list of questions we know we’ll be asked. One is, ‘Whoa! Do you guys do everything together ?!’”
“In short, the answer is yes. We have truly stuck together through thick and thin. When we were nine, our dad had a stroke. He was pronounced brain-dead and taken off the machines that kept him alive. His death was a tremendous heartbreak… the worst possible thing in the entire universe. As time went on, we realized that being together was one of the reasons we got through everything. If we didn’t have each other… it’s hard to think about. The strength we feel from having each other in our lives is all we really need. So, we stick together all the time. Being in Brooklyn Tech together was the exact right choice. We know our dad would be proud of all that we’ve become and are becoming. We miss him, but with every achievement is a thought that he is there somewhere and smiling. We feel the Tech family’s support. Since we were young we’ve been interested in mathematics and performance. Tech’s advanced academics and its majors are preparing us for college and the real world, but it has a drama and music program. We were in Fiddler on the Roof, the spring musical – a great way to incorporate the arts into our lives.” ■
Susan Mayham ’76 contributed to the development of this story. Adapted from a post on Humans of Brooklyn Tech, a student-run social media page.
“I don’t exactly know yet what kind of career I will want, but I’ve always enjoyed the idea of being a powerful businesswoman. I might want to be a Finance major. I love math. I learn it quickly. I love to solve problems... even the tricky ones. Tech’s math club pushes our limits, and the musical made me feel so comfortable that I even want to be on stage.” --WILLA
“My life doesn’t have an end goal just yet, and my career path is totally invisible to me now. However, I know I love design, and want that to incorporate somehow. I think I’ll be leaning towards the industrial design major, though anything can happen in the next year. I’m ready for whatever my next years at Tech will bring!” --LUCY
Together Willa and Lucy Meissner, Class of 2021 FALL
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