“To create a great company culture, everything comes back to the issue of respect for every single person,” said Susan Story, ’81 industrial engineering and former president and CEO of American Water, the largest water utility in the United States.

At the time Story was CEO and president of American Water, she was one among only 23 women serving as CEOs of S&P 500 companies.

She said her education was a big catalyst for her success.

Story was the keynote speaker in 2018 at Auburn University’s spring graduation. In her address, she wanted students to take away one point from that story: “Others don’t decide your future. You do.”

“I have lived the American Dream,” Story said. “When I graduated from Auburn, I wanted to truly make a difference in the world. My goal through my career was to show that companies can be financially successful while also fully respecting and engaging employees, taking care of our environment and making communities stronger because our companies are there.

“Because I was willing to work hard and get a great education at Auburn Engineering, I had life opportunities that I never could have imagined,” she added.

Story hopes her own journey from Auburn University makes one thing clear: students have the power to harness their abilities, to reach their greatest potential and decide their own futures in engineering or wherever their careers may take them.