At the 30th anniversary of the Vergnano Institute for Impact’s Multiply Your Options (MYO) conference, the room buzzes with the energy of 150 middle school girls. With all eyes on the stage, Teresa Boyd Cowles, founder of the MYO conference, takes the stage.
“Let’s get loud,” she tells the crowd of young women.
It isn’t just a call for volume. It is a call to redefine what leadership in science and technology looks like.
That mindset, she explains, has powered generations of women in STEM—from the pioneers of Baby Boomers and Gen X to today’s purpose-driven Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
“You don’t have to know how to build it,” she says. “You just have to be ready to learn.”
This year, the conference was held on March 27 and April 10 on the UConn Storrs campus.
Her keynote address centers a “multiplier” theme, highlighting just how far technology—and opportunity—has come. She points to trailblazers like Ann Tsukamoto and Radia Perlman as proof that women have long shaped the technological world, even if they weren’t always recognized.
A proud graduate of the University of Connecticut, earning a B.A. in Psychology and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, Boyd Cowles has built a career at the intersection of education and innovation. Her work spans the k-16 system, serving in roles starting at UConn and branching to public school, the state college system, and the State Department of Education before circling back to UConn again. Her path, as she describes, has always focused on one thing: empowering students.
Throughout her talk, Boyd Cowles challenges students to think not just as learners but also as creators. Her message to the young women is crystal clear. Innovation doesn’t start in a lab. It starts with curiosity. And as technology accelerates, so do the questions surrounding it.
“Your generation doesn’t just accept what is—you challenge it,” she emphasizes.
After the talk, Boyd Cowles speaks candidly about her own journey—from a girl who grew up believing she could do anything her brothers could, to an educator who discovered her “superpower” in making complex ideas simple. It was during her time as director of the Engineering Diversity Program in 1995 that she and her team created the Multiply Your Options conferences to confront and close the gap in engineering opportunities for girls. Grounded in her work as an educator, she designed the conference to nurture curiosity, build confidence, and empower students to see themselves as the future of engineering.
“I can only see myself as an educator,” she said. “Every opportunity I’ve had weaved in that part of me.”
Thirty years later, Boyd Cowles’ impact is undeniable. And if she has her way, the next three decades will be even louder.
“Look what 30 years can do,” she said. “Their options aren’t just multiplied, they are limitless.”
The Vergnano Institute for Impact (VII) is committed to carrying the MYO legacy. MYO is a conference that celebrates Women in Engineering. We welcome anyone to attend, and are proud to showcase and celebrate the incredible women in our community and in our state. For more information, please visit the Vergnano website.
