Laura Cuccaro
Interview Posted By: Ashley Smith
1. Can you tell us a little about your background? i.e. Where you grew up, what education do you have, a summary of your resume, did you always want to do what you are doing now, when did you start to become interested in STEM, what internships/ volunteering
I grew up in Solana Beach (coastal San Diego county), CA. I spent a lot of time at our local beach and lagoon, and this is where my love of nature grew. But I also loved math and science, and learning how things work and why they were built or designed in the first place. I was lucky enough to have some great teachers who encouraged me to pursue environmental engineering as a way to combine my passion for nature and STEM. I went to UC Berkeley College of Engineering and earned my B.S. in Environmental Engineering Science, a program that mixed the traditional civil-based environmental engineering classes with more advanced coursework in other sciences, like physics, chemistry, and biology. As with most things in my life, I like focusing on preventing environmental impacts in the first place through smart design and operation, rather than mitigating/cleaning it up later.
2. What exactly IS your job? What do you do on a day to day basis?
I work for Walt Disney Imagineering. We are the designers, engineers, and builders of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Specifically, I work in the Research & Development department, which develops some of the techniques, technologies, and tools used to advance our designs. My team is called Sustainable Design & Engineering and we are tasked with keeping Disney on the cutting edge of environmental research and technology.
I perform environmental life cycle assessments (LCAs) and research to quantify the impact of our design choices; I research what others in the industry are doing, the sustainability performance goals they are setting, how that is applicable to our work; I work with project teams to find opportunities within their designs to reduce environmental impact across its entire life cycle without impacting guest experience; and then I tee-up actionable information for the decision makers.
3. How does STEM relate to your job?How do you use the information you learned from your degree in your job?
STEM is a huge part of my job. I may be researching topics or subjects I don’t have direct experience in (like electrical engineering or mechanical systems), so I rely on my technical problem solving skills to be able to learn about the subject enough so that I can model the environmental view of it and provide whatever suggestions or results are needed to guide decision-making.
4. What is the best and worst part of your job? What do you look forward to in your job on a day to day basis? What do you wish you could change?
My job is really cool because I get to work with very talented people who are passionate about what they do. That type of passion is infectious and makes me want to do my job better so we can together make a better experience for our guests!
5. How do you balance your work and personal life? Any secrets or advice you’d like to share?
6. What do you define success as?
I think “success” is different to every person, and may change for a person over their life. I think for me at this moment in time, “success” is being able to provide quality work that helps influence my company to reduce its environmental impact and become a leader in sustainability.
7. What is one personality trait that you think is universally important for a successful career?
I think self-awareness and mindfulness are traits that can be important in achieving “success”. Being able to step back and reassess, “Am I where I want to be? Am I going where I want to go? If not, how do I get back on that trajectory?” I think being about to manage yourself in this way will make you a better team member and a better leader.
8. What do you think is the best advice you've ever received ? What advice would you give your younger self if you had the chance? What’s one piece of advice you can pass on to us?
(this goes along with my answer to #8) A friend recently passed along the quotation “You can do anything, but not everything” (attributed to author David Allen). This really stuck with me because it was saying that I am limitless and I shouldn’t not pursue something because I don’t think I can do it or that I’m not good enough. BUT, I need to have the adequate mental energy and focus to devote to whatever I am trying, and that means prioritizing my efforts and maybe deciding to let some other things go.
I grew up in Solana Beach (coastal San Diego county), CA. I spent a lot of time at our local beach and lagoon, and this is where my love of nature grew. But I also loved math and science, and learning how things work and why they were built or designed in the first place. I was lucky enough to have some great teachers who encouraged me to pursue environmental engineering as a way to combine my passion for nature and STEM. I went to UC Berkeley College of Engineering and earned my B.S. in Environmental Engineering Science, a program that mixed the traditional civil-based environmental engineering classes with more advanced coursework in other sciences, like physics, chemistry, and biology. As with most things in my life, I like focusing on preventing environmental impacts in the first place through smart design and operation, rather than mitigating/cleaning it up later.
2. What exactly IS your job? What do you do on a day to day basis?
I work for Walt Disney Imagineering. We are the designers, engineers, and builders of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Specifically, I work in the Research & Development department, which develops some of the techniques, technologies, and tools used to advance our designs. My team is called Sustainable Design & Engineering and we are tasked with keeping Disney on the cutting edge of environmental research and technology.
I perform environmental life cycle assessments (LCAs) and research to quantify the impact of our design choices; I research what others in the industry are doing, the sustainability performance goals they are setting, how that is applicable to our work; I work with project teams to find opportunities within their designs to reduce environmental impact across its entire life cycle without impacting guest experience; and then I tee-up actionable information for the decision makers.
3. How does STEM relate to your job?How do you use the information you learned from your degree in your job?
STEM is a huge part of my job. I may be researching topics or subjects I don’t have direct experience in (like electrical engineering or mechanical systems), so I rely on my technical problem solving skills to be able to learn about the subject enough so that I can model the environmental view of it and provide whatever suggestions or results are needed to guide decision-making.
4. What is the best and worst part of your job? What do you look forward to in your job on a day to day basis? What do you wish you could change?
My job is really cool because I get to work with very talented people who are passionate about what they do. That type of passion is infectious and makes me want to do my job better so we can together make a better experience for our guests!
5. How do you balance your work and personal life? Any secrets or advice you’d like to share?
6. What do you define success as?
I think “success” is different to every person, and may change for a person over their life. I think for me at this moment in time, “success” is being able to provide quality work that helps influence my company to reduce its environmental impact and become a leader in sustainability.
7. What is one personality trait that you think is universally important for a successful career?
I think self-awareness and mindfulness are traits that can be important in achieving “success”. Being able to step back and reassess, “Am I where I want to be? Am I going where I want to go? If not, how do I get back on that trajectory?” I think being about to manage yourself in this way will make you a better team member and a better leader.
8. What do you think is the best advice you've ever received ? What advice would you give your younger self if you had the chance? What’s one piece of advice you can pass on to us?
(this goes along with my answer to #8) A friend recently passed along the quotation “You can do anything, but not everything” (attributed to author David Allen). This really stuck with me because it was saying that I am limitless and I shouldn’t not pursue something because I don’t think I can do it or that I’m not good enough. BUT, I need to have the adequate mental energy and focus to devote to whatever I am trying, and that means prioritizing my efforts and maybe deciding to let some other things go.
