04/27/2015
Congratulations Dr. Capellan. The Hostos Alumni Relations Office is very proud of you!
MIRKEYA CAPELLAN
Pace University
Education: Doctorate of Professional Studies in Computing
Master’s degree in Information Systems
– Pace University
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science
– City University of New York-Hunter College
Associate’s degree in Liberal Arts – Hostos Community College of The City University of New York
Today: IT Training, Resource Management, and Strategic Project Specialist/Quality Assurance, Mercedes-Benz USA
Growing up in the Dominican Republic, Mirkeya Capellán dreamed of a better life for her family and herself.
“When I immigrated to New York, I knew that I had a tremendous opportunity in my hands, and that it was up to me to make it happen,” she says.
Capellán learned English language basics at Hostos Community College.
“When I graduated in 1990, I was an insecure, soft-spoken young lady who still didn’t speak English very well. I had to continue my education if I wanted to become successful and support my mother back in the Dominican Republic,” she shares.
She fulfilled her dream by enrolling at Hunter College and attaining a bachelor’s degree in computer science. She earned her master’s, doctorate and eventually became adjunct professor at Pace University.
“As for my doctoral degree, this was a dream that seemed out of reach as I could not afford to pay for the program. With the support of my company’s tuition, I was able to finish my Doctoral of Professional Studies in Computing (DPS) at Pace University,” Capellán says. “Through this program, I received several scholarships to attend conferences where I met other women in the field. The experience was very rewarding and definitely had an impact in my professional life on many levels. I learned that I wasn’t alone, that there were other women like me going through similar hurdles.”
Capellán’s Latina roots have helped her fight for what she wants.
“Who I am today I owe in part to my humble beginning. I was taught to believe in myself, to be honest, disciplined, hardworking, passionate, modest, appreciative and value the little things in life,” she shares.
Capellán teaches undergraduate courses in computing and serves on the committee for Under-represented Women in Computing group and Career track at Grace Hoppe Celebration of Women in Computing conference. She also serves as a mentor at the College of Mount Saint Vincent.
She is active in a number of organizations and is responsible for IT training, resource management and strategic projects at Mercedes-Benz USA Corporate office in New Jersey. She oversees vendor and resource management activities within IT and leads special projects and initiatives by IT management. She also trains/coaches/mentors project managers to address skill gaps and delivers tools to improve performance.
“One of my biggest passions is mentoring,” she states. “I teach my mentees to be more proactive, master time management, networking, make career and academic choices, overcome shyness, dress for success, make conversation with people they don’t know, manage their social network presence, leadership strategies like generating buy-in for an idea and other techniques.”