From UCLA to Aerospace to Service: Engineering Alumna Redefines Retirement

Coretta Harris ’83 thought she wanted to be a school teacher until she was introduced to the Math Engineering Science Achievement program, or MESA, in high school. By the time she graduated from UCLA, she was stepping into a career that would place her at the center of high-stakes aerospace and defense work for more than three decades.

Harris grew up with three brothers in Richmond, California, where their parents emphasized academic effort and responsibility.

“We lived in a neighborhood where everyone knew each other and all the kids would play together,” she said. “The constant encouragement from my parents, teachers and neighbors during my schooling helped me set goals and strive to achieve them.”

Harris attended John F. Kennedy High School, which was one of the four original high schools in the MESA program. Launched by UC Berkeley in the early 1970s, the program was designed to expose Black students to math- and science-based career paths.

Mrs. Elois Irvin was JFK High School’s MESA advisor. Though Harris never took one of Irvin’s math classes, Irvin regularly stayed after school to help her work through calculus and trigonometry.

“I would not be an engineer without the encouragement of Mrs. Irvin and my parents,” Harris said.

When Harris arrived at UCLA in 1978, she entered an engineering school where Black and Hispanic women were rare. Large introductory courses and limited access to study groups made the transition particularly challenging, especially since Harris didn’t live on campus. She found support through the Minority Engineering Program Student Association, or MEPSA.

“I met other Black women in MEPSA who became my study partners and friends,” Harris said. “We are still good friends 40-plus years after we graduated.”

She was also an active member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) at UCLA. After learning that the National Society of Black Engineers, which was founded at Purdue University in 1975, was encouraging campuses nationwide to form chapters, Harris became a charter member of NSBE at UCLA, which was established in 1980 with the support of Deborah Hardin, a staff member at the engineering school. About 15 MEPSA members joined the inaugural cohort.

“I’ve found a passion for supporting and encouraging young people just as I was supported and encouraged growing up,” Coretta Harris said. “Most of my service-related activities are centered around this passion.”

Harris began her professional career with the U.S. Navy after graduating from UCLA in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. She helped plan and direct environmental testing for several of the Navy’s missile systems, such as Sparrow, Sidewinder and Tomahawk. After leaving the Navy, she worked as a mechanical and systems engineer for a number of military contractors, including Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford, Connecticut, where she worked on an F135 engine upgrade and led accident investigations involving aircraft engines for United and Delta airlines shortly before her retirement in 2016.

Just two years later, however, she ​came out of retirement to consult on a yearlong project at the request of a former colleague. Shortly after that project ended, she was recruited by ManTech International in El Segundo, California, as a systems engineer and senior principal engineer. There, she worked on the Vulcan Centaur program to replace the older Atlas and Delta rockets until 2021.

Throughout her professional journey, Harris has remained deeply involved in volunteer work, especially in roles that are engineering-focused and student-facing. After graduating from UCLA, Harris continued to be active with NSBE and SWE. She also established NSBE Bruin Alumni to support current NSBE students with financial resources and provide access to mentors and speakers. In 2000, Harris was invited to join the UCLA Engineering Alumni Association (EAA) Board. She served on several EAA board committees and was elected its first female president in 2008 for a three-year term. In 2017, she began her second term as president of the EAA Board, where she also served as chair of its Tri-Org Advisory Committee.

In 2008, Harris established the Coretta Harris Alumni Scholarship Fund to support undergraduate engineering students.

Today, Harris remains actively involved with her alma mater, serving on the UCLA Alumni Association Board, the Engineering Alumni Association Board and in advisory roles to NSBE and the UCLA Samueli leadership. She is also a member of the UCLA Gold Shield Alumnae, an honorary organization composed of distinguished UCLA alumnae who are committed to advancing the university through philanthropy, mentorship and service. She is also a frequent speaker for the Women in Engineering program, or WE@UCLA.

Outside of UCLA, Harris volunteers with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and the nonprofit service organization, The Links, Inc. She also previously served as a docent at the California Science Center, helping guide visitors at the Space Shuttle Endeavour exhibit.

Now living in Inglewood, California, Harris divides her time among travel, volunteering and attending UCLA basketball, softball and gymnastics games, as well as professional sporting events. Retirement, she said, has allowed her to focus more fully on the work that has long motivated her.

“I was taught to give back,” said Harris, who is the immediate past president of UCLA Women & Philanthropy. “I’ve found a passion for supporting and encouraging young people just as I was supported and encouraged growing up. Most of my service-related activities are centered around this passion.”