Victoria Lanaghan, Program Coordinator, Idea Forge
I was born in England but have lived in Å·ÃÀ¿Ú±¬ÊÓƵ since I can remember. I did my undergrad at Å·ÃÀ¿Ú±¬ÊÓƵ, where I started working in mechanical engineering as a student employee in 2008, and I’ve been here ever since. After I graduated, I spent several years working at the ITLL, and now am at the Idea Forge. I enjoy hanging out with friends, camping, seeing new places, cooking (and eating), building Legos, and have recently gotten into a summer habit of road tripping to national parks.
What is an ordinary moment in your life that brings you joy?
My commute from Lakewood takes me along Highway 93. During the winter months, if my drive is timed right, I see the sunrise hit the Flatirons and get to watch them change from dark to purple to orange, and it is a highlight of my day whenever that happens.
Also, on a cold day, I also love getting into a toasty warm bed with freshly laundered sheets.
What do you most like to do to unwind?
Spend time with friends – it doesn’t really matter what we’re doing, whether it’s camping, cooking, hiking, playing games, working on house projects, gardening, hanging out and watching Star Trek reruns, or doing nothing at all.
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
Well, anyone who has ventured anywhere with me is probably aware, but I have an astonishingly bad sense of direction. I can get lost making a U-turn.
One thing you’re willing to spend way too much on ...
Definitely gear. I love buying gear for pretty much any (often impulsively selected) expensive hobby.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Little Debbie Nutty Bars … they’re so awful and so fabulous at the same time.
Which TV show do you never miss?
Doctor Who, definitely.
What is the best advice you have ever been given?
To always assume good intentions. People are all trying their best. It is easy for us to judge ourselves by our own intentions, and yet to judge other people by their observed actions. It’s important to give people the benefit of the doubt, and to assume that we are all doing the best that we can in a given situation.
