Sally Magana (GRS '03)

Degree: PhD in Chemical Engineering

Graduation Year: 2003

Current occupation: Research Scientist

A sentence about your current company:
As a PhD student, I studied diamond films grown by chemical vapor deposition. I now use that skill to examine gem diamonds that have been submitted to GIA so the four C's [color, cut, clarity and carat weight] for the diamond can be determined. In tandem with the grading, GIA also determines if the gem diamond is natural, treated or synthetic.

Company/organization website: www.gia.edu

What are some of your achievements?
The greatest professional honor was when I was able to perform research on the famous blue Hope Diamond at the Smithsonian Institution, where we studied the Hope's distinctive red phosphorescence.

Any advice for future CWRU alumni?
Engineering provides an incredible basic education. It teaches students critical thinking, problem solving and analytical thinking—skills that can be transferred into any field. An engineering graduate can become an engineer or continue in school to become a scientist, lawyer, doctor, or an MBA.

What does being a Case Western Reserve University alumna mean to you?
My time at Case Western Reserve were some of the most influential and seminal years of my life. While there, I became a scientist and a doctor and it launched me on the trajectory that has directly carried me to this day. I met my husband, who got his PhD in nonlinear process control, met numerous lifelong friends and felt fulfilled both intellectually and personally. The staff and faculty at CWRU have created a very special environment at the university. My husband and I revisited Cleveland last August and indulged in nostalgia as we wandered the quad.

Where do you live, and how do you like living there?
San Clemente, California. It's in beautiful, coastal Southern California—the southernmost city of Orange County.

Do you have a favorite website?
www.losthopebook.com
(The book is a fiction action/adventure novel, written by my husband Quetzalcoatl Magana (GRS '97, '02) and I. The story is about the Hope Diamond and draws heavily on our personal and academic experiences at CWRU.)