“I feel so lucky to be working in the energy sector in a field that is so exciting and allows me to interact with clients and projects that are so varied; from a Plant to a platform to the boardroom, Geomatics presents new and exciting opportunities and professional experiences every day”.
Photo credit: Luvo Productions Ltd.
Crystal Cooper’s upbringing by her single father has been one of the defining aspects of her life. Given the flexibility to follow her passion and not be influenced by his expectations, she was allowed to discover where her ability and interest lay. Although her eureka moment came after some trial and error, her success as a Geomatics Engineer (at L&S Surveying), a career that still attracts fewer women than men, is remarkable for a 30-year-old.
Born in Trinidad, Crystal spent some of her formative years in Tobago, before moving back to Trinidad to attend secondary school. Initially interested in becoming a pilot, several factors limited her ability to pursue that path, but she is hopeful of accomplishing that at some point. After not getting into her preferred civil and environmental engineering program at university, she was offered a place in geomatics engineering; she initially declined but later accepted after realizing that the visual arts programme she had decided on, wasn't the right fit for her.
After graduating in 2020, Crystal accepted employment with an insurance company when COVID disrupted her hopes of gaining experience in her chosen field. She also had a short stint at the Ministry of Works as an OJT. In 2022, an opportunity to join the team at L&S Surveying presented itself and she started as a Project Assistant. In three years, she has rapidly advanced to a supervisory position, and was only recently invited to join the senior management team.
She has a reserved confidence but very evident excitement about the field of Geomatics where the gender dynamics while still favouring males, has seen some growth in female representation over the years. Personally, she has been encouraged and supported by her male colleagues both while at University and in the professional environment.
Her growth at L&S Surveying has been the result of her personal credo of adopting her projects as, in her words “like my child; I am heavily invested in my work, and I don’t leave for tomorrow what can be done today since I like to be ahead of the game”. Clearly, this has worked in her favour, but she has also recognized the need to create a greater work/life balance. If she had to share anything with her peers, it would be to “get yourself involved in more extracurricular so that you can channel your stress and refocus your energy when the inevitable frustration sets in and be your own motivator, push yourself, knowing that it will lead you to better circumstances”.
From Crystal’s account, her career has flourished at L&S in large part also, because of the enabling, safe and nurturing environment within the company and especially her team of roughly 15 persons. Very interestingly, she drew a comparison between the safety which her father created at home and what she has experienced in the professional space, “Even though the job itself can be overwhelming, the work environment is like a home away from home; it’s very motivating, light, and the way in which experience is shared, creates a very supportive environment which encourages reciprocity among team members”.
Crystal has been fortunate to have multiple positive influences throughout the years, naming her Dad as her first mentor, “His outlook on family and my upbringing has fundamentally molded who I am today; he was not the drill-sergeant but gave me a freedom to make decisions which he supported; there was always a feeling of safety in the way he led”. Dr. Dexter Davis, one of her lecturers at UWI, and Ian Grant, a member of the leadership team at L&S Surveying have also provided the support to fuel her confidence and to guide her development and learning in the field.
In sharing what has been the most rewarding aspect of her career she reflected that “it’s two-fold as I feel very lucky to have the chance to interact with the clients that we have in the sector and I also get a great deal of satisfaction when projects close successfully; knowing that our clients are pleased and also seeing our teams return safely despite all the moving parts and the high risks involved at times, is very fulfilling”.
If one were to map where Crystal’s career within the energy sector is headed judging from all that has happened in 3 brief years, one can only assume that many more fulfilling and exciting growth opportunities lie ahead.