Magdalena Caproiu

Surviving on Longitude and Latitude Magdalena Caproiu

As a child growing up in a small Romanian village, Magdalena Caproiu lived a simple life without any of today's modern conveniences. She had a passion to learn and explore, but the shadow of World War II would attempt to derail her plans. Defying authority and tradition, she left home at just 10 years of age, traveling to new cities, new countries, new latitudes, and new longitudes, in order to follow her dreams. As a young woman pursuing an engineering career in post-war Communist Romania, Magdalena would face new challenges. In a world of food shortages, loss of basic freedoms, and government spies, Magdalena would constantly need to adapt in order to keep her family safe. Despite the many challenges, she never lost her passion for education and ultimately earned a PhD in Mechanical Engineering. Surviving on Longitude and Latitude chronicles her struggle as an outsider. First as a Jewish child, then as a woman in a male-dominated field, as an enemy of the Communist party, and finally as a 60-year-old immigrant looking to start her life over in America. A life-long educator, Dr. Caproiu finds purpose in touching the lives of her students with her unshakeable optimism. She refuses to look back, turns every setback into an opportunity, and has never stopped learning. She now shares her survival skills and life lessons in hopes of inspiring others, and firmly believes, "The difference between a good day and a bad day does not consist of a change in the day - It consists of a change in you."