The newest permanent art installation on campus informs, inspires, and celebrates decades of Georgia Tech women’s achievements. 

Years in the making, the sweeping, shining art installation Pathway of Progress: Celebrating Georgia Tech Women, located in the heart of campus near the John Lewis Student Center, will officially open on Saturday, March 8. 

The structure contains nearly 3,000 mirrored tiles, each of which will one day tell the story of Tech alumnae, students, faculty, and staff who made a lasting impact — at the Institute, in their field, and in the world. 

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The inscribed mosaic fabric stretches across the site in three areas, beginning wrapped around a spiral contemplative bench dedicated to the history of women at Tech. Emerging from the ground, it spans across the site and main pedestrian spine, presenting the voices of women from Tech — graduates who have made a significant impact in their field since leaving campus. And as the tribute reaches above the John Lewis Student Center, it inspires visions for future Georgia Tech women.   

On opening day, 168 inscribed tiles will present voices and stories from the installation’s inaugural honorees, and more honorees’ stories will be added annually. The design process included input from faculty, staff, and students. It was brought to life by Merica May Jensen, MGT 2008, M. ARCH 2011, the lead project architect and a founding creative director at Gray Matters, a New York City-based design studio.

“The structure and website were inspired by the words of Virginia Woolf, ‘I am not one and simple but complex and many,’” said Jensen. “The highly tensioned cable-net works with transformation, reflection, and mosaics to honor individuals, the collective, and our journey.”

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Before founding her studio, Jensen was a design lead at the interdisciplinary firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro. She is also an associate professor at Pratt Institute.

“With this beautiful new campus landmark, Georgia Tech recognizes and celebrates the remarkable women who have shaped our institution,” said Ángel Cabrera, president of Georgia Tech. “This dynamic space will inspire our community and future generations of leaders to make their own significant contributions to scientific and human progress. We are especially proud that one of our alumnae has championed this project and garnered the support of many others, and we look forward to seeing it grow.” 

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That alumna is Andrea Laliberte, IE 1982, M.S. IE 1984. After a successful career at Coach, Laliberte returned to campus in 2013 looking to give back. She served as the Edenfield Executive-in-Residence in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, participated on several Georgia Tech boards, and was chair of the Alumni Association in 2016-17.  Currently, she is a member of the Georgia Tech Foundation and the Campaign Steering Committee for Transforming Tomorrow: The Campaign for Georgia Tech. 

Laliberte also has supported scholarships, programs, and facilities through her visionary philanthropy. “I met so many amazing people — from astronauts to Olympians to CEOs — but what struck me was how many impressive alumnae we have,” she said. “There are, and have been, amazing women here, but no one knows about them.” She wanted to tell their stories in a public, visually compelling way. And now it’s happening.