Built to Learn.

Neeya Toleman ‘14 is an engineer working on major power transmission projects across the United States. She credits her classical Christian education with shaping her ability to think critically, communicate clearly, and approach complex challenges with confidence. From rigorous academics to close-knit classroom relationships, her time at CDA cultivated habits that continue to guide her work in engineering while reinforcing the connection between faith, learning, and vocation.

How did your experience at CDA uniquely prepare you for a technical career?

It was quickly evident in college group projects and even furthermore in business settings that technical skills only get you so far. If you cannot communicate your work in a meaningful manner and work well with others, at the very least you will be a bad teammate. Your career will likely suffer, too. Technical preparation is one component. Having written and verbal skills—those emphasized in CDA’s classical setting—helped me in areas where my peers struggled, such as lab reports and group presentations. Today, it’s less lab reports and more briefs, formal comments, and testimony for regulatory filings. Knowing how to follow a format, analyze in detail, be a grammar stickler, and speak eloquently are all very translatable skills.

You mentioned that CDA taught you how to learn new things. How does that skill benefit you in your day-to-day work developing power transmission systems?

In most jobs, unless they have a very set and regimented training program, much of learning your actual job post-college is learning from others and teaching yourself. It is very unlikely that you will be spoon-fed job responsibilities, so it’s up to you to have the internal drive and curiosity to dig in and lean into being uncomfortable sorting out something unfamiliar. In our current era with the dawn of artificial intelligence, it’s even more paramount that you have the skills to perform self-learning with the tools available.

How have you maintained spiritual disciplines in your day-to-day life since graduating from CDA?

Like many of us, I do better with structure and a little outside pressure, so I incorporated that into how I lead AWANA at my church in order to challenge myself. If my kids keep up with me or beat me in the handbook, they earn a special prize at the end of the year. It’s good motivation for me and them. I also very firmly believe that spiritual disciplines are just that—a discipline that must be exercised. When I left my parents’ house for college, I didn’t stop attending church, Bible study, or volunteering. Those are all spiritual “muscles” that have to be exercised in order to be maintained through regular practice.

What advice would you give to CDA students who are interested in STEM fields?

Explore and be curious! There are so many great online resources with information and free tools like Code Academy. Local community STEM programs like FIRST Robotics are a great way to dip your toe into the water and see if certain kinds of activities really pique your interest. I’ll also plug that my college alma mater, John Brown University, does summer camps where you can explore different possible majors. I also shadowed some folks when thinking about career options – it’s how I decided I didn’t want to be an accountant!