Tonya Lane is a valued member of the chemical and biochemical engineering department. She has been in her position for less than one year.

What do you most enjoy about working at Missouri S&T?

The people and the community they have built here. Everyone is friendly and helpful. They all work together to make the environment easy to transition into and are always willing to lend a helping hand.

What is your proudest accomplishment while working here?

Working with social media and seeing the results of the history posts and student spotlight posts. Engaging with the alumni to create a new series of historical posts. Social media is not something I’ve ever been especially savvy with, and I’m proud that I’ve been able to improve our department’s presence and engage with the online audience.  

What is one piece of advice you would give to a new CEC staff member?

Never be afraid to ask for help. It is OK to not know everything. Reach out for help; there is always someone that can give you a hand.

What advice would you have for a struggling student?

Breathe. Focus on just that for a minute. Then, don’t sweat the small stuff. What is the small stuff? It is the stuff you can’t control. Focus on what you can control. Then breathe. Reach out for help. The staff and faculty are here to help you. Please reach out to us; we want to see you succeed.

What is something people may be surprised to learn about you?

My husband and I raise beef cattle on our family farm. We’ve been married 30 years and have three children ranging from 27 years old to a senior in high school and we have several “adopted children” that we call our own or we have taken in at one time or another. We also have ten grandchildren, the oldest is 7 years old and the youngest is 7 months old, with another on the way.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

The power to heal — because, in all seriousness, I would love to be able to heal all the pain and hurt in the world. To have the power to heal the sick and wounded in mind, body and soul — and to be able to give that gift to others — would be the greatest gift of all.

More about Tonya:

Position title: Office Support Assistant IV
Years of service at S&T: Less than one year
Hometown: Flat, Missouri
Favorite food: Lasagna
Favorite book: The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation – Thich Nhat Hanh

About Q&A with the CEC
Staff members in the College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) have great stories and deserve to be highlighted. This feature is one way to recognize them.