Lisa Seacat DeLuca Embraced Risk in College and Encourages Risk Taking in Her Career

Lisa Seacat DeLuca is known amongst her peers at IBM as the most prolific female inventor, but her ties to Carnegie Mellon University run deeper than the computer science program where she began her career. Seacat DeLuca was not only a standout in an academic program sparse with females and American born students but also a two-sport athlete for the Tartans excelling on the basketball and volleyball courts.

As a high school student, Seacat DeLuca was interested in gadgets but didn't have much of a background in computer science. What she did know was that she wanted to attend a university that would challenge her and one where she could continue her athletic career.

"Basketball mattered and I knew I wanted to play in college," said Seacat DeLuca. "I was probably better at volleyball but I wanted to pursue basketball."

In her sophomore year, Seacat DeLuca added the challenge of balancing volleyball with basketball and one of the world's best computer science programs. She made an impact on the volleyball team, finishing third on the team in kills with 320 and helped lead the team to an Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship.

"I missed volleyball. I played intramurals but I just missed the competitive nature of varsity volleyball and wondered if I could do it," said Seacat DeLuca. "My basketball coach wasn't thrilled but I convinced her some of the jump training and workouts would be beneficial and she ended up supporting my decision."

Although she loved playing volleyball again, Seacat DeLuca ultimately decided to continue solely with basketball, rededicating herself at the start of her junior year. The choice panned out for DeLuca who went on to lead the Tartans in scoring her junior and senior seasons along with rebounds and assists per game her final season.

Athletics was something Seacat DeLuca used to balance her life at Carnegie Mellon.

"I was accepted to Carnegie Mellon because of academics, but I thought basketball was something fun I could do on the side," said Seacat DeLuca. "I knew it would be time consuming and require a lot of attention outside of school work but I looked forward to the break."

See images of Lisa Seacat DeLuca in action as a Tartan

Computer science proved to be a different type of challenge for Seacat DeLuca and she credits the opportunities a school like Carnegie Mellon provided as the reason her career has taken its current path.

"Getting opportunities because of the school and having internships made me realize I liked the career path of computer science," said Seacat DeLuca. "I loved what I did during the summers and I pursued it and continued with computer science because of it."

Ten years post-graduation, DeLuca has risen to the top of IBM as the most prolific female inventor at the company with 180 patents to her name and more than 380 applications filed. Now a member of the IBM Commerce team, she develops innovative ways for marketers to engage with customers.

Seacat DeLuca has changed jobs four or five times at IBM and says that every time it's like a new company.

"I get to work with a whole different set of people with new technologies, new products and new opportunities but still have my old connections that I can reach out to like I did before," said Seacat DeLuca.

Recently DeLuca spoke at a Girls Who Code event and was asked about taking on a major they don't have experience with.

"My advice was not just to them but to anyone," said Seacat DeLuca. "It's okay to not get straight A's. It's more about learning and the experience and deciding if it's a career choice that you want to have. There is no way to know unless you give it a shot."

Read more about DeLuca's mindset in the article she wrote for Fortune.com on why straight A's don't matter and find out more about her life and career at her website lisaseacat.com.

Also view A Day in the Life of Lisa Seacat DeLuca, a mobile software engineer, published in September 2014.