Maria Schneider
Dynofit, Inc.
Dallas, TX USA
"If I don’t know exactly where I want to go, I go talk to people. Things happen and opportunities pop up, but they don’t happen if you sit around."
Career Roadmap
Maria's work combines: Business, Engineering, and Accomplishing Goals
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
I went to the closest college there was to my parent's house and lived at home throughout college. I was initially upset about not getting to go away to college as I had planned. As I got older, I realized that where I went to school was not that important, as long as I got an education.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Physics, General
New Mexico State University-Main Campus
Bachelor's Degree
Electrical and Electronics Engineering
New Mexico State University-Main Campus
Graduate Degree
Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering
The University of Texas at Austin
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
Attended New Mexico State University where she received bachelor’s degrees in physics and electrical engineering.
2.
Worked at NASA and, later Bell Labs, while getting her master’s degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
3.
After graduation, she worked at various small businesses and a medical clinic, but couldn’t find a job in biomedical engineering.
4.
Discovered a passion for construction after fixing up her own house—decided to start a construction company that hired ex-offenders to build and remodel “green” houses.
5.
Her son was born 3 months early with cerebral palsy and had to spend 3 months in intensive care—stopped running her company and dedicated herself to caring for him.
6.
Moved to Dallas—looking for an excuse to get out of the house, she got involved in the city’s efforts to alleviate poverty and racism, and decided to start a nonprofit that would revamp old houses.
7.
Was getting increasingly frustrated by the lack of treatments for her son, so she invented Flexdot™, a wearable sensor that detects the electrical signal emitted by nerves during muscle activation.
8.
Won a grant from the National Institutes of Health to further develop the technology and help kids like her son—started her company Dynofit, Inc. and launched the product with FDA approval.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Parents:
I won't pay for you to go away to college.
How I responded:
I went to the closest college there was to my parent's house and lived at home throughout college. I was initially upset about not getting to go away to college as I had planned. As I got older, I realized that where I went to school was not that important, as long as I got an education.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
My son was born 3 months early, he weighed 2 lbs 10 oz and was in intensive care for 3 months. He was born with cerebral palsy.
My parents wouldn't help me pay for college, so I worked a lot of jobs to make money.