Santa Clara is in Cindy Weir Cooper’s bones.
“I grew up in Santa Clara. I went to Santa Clara High. I work at Santa Clara University. I live on Santa Clara Street,” she said. “I feel like Santa Clara is me, sort of. I can’t escape it. I can’t get away from it.”
Cooper is steeped in several aspects that make Silicon Valley, and Santa Clara in particular, unique. Straddling several worlds, she has her foot in the business world as well as Santa Clara’s vibrant arts culture and also in its rich historical legacy.
She is Santa Clara University’s program Director for its Ciocca Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. In that role, she helps students find their calling, mentoring them on grounded, practical career paths.
Even though she has worked in more traditionally tech-driven fields such as the semiconductor industry, Cooper revels in the artistic side of whatever she does.
Whenever she travels, she makes sure to visit a museum in whatever city she is in.
That lifelong love of art has guided her to several endeavors that reflect that passion. Her role on the San Jose Symphonic choir’s board harkens back to her musical roots — to her college days of studying it, to her high school days singing in the choir.
The same instinct that leaves her visiting museums has blossomed into her becoming the president of the Silicon Valley Arts Coalition (SVAC), which is celebrating its centennial this year. [DISCLOSURE: The Weekly’s associate editor, Carolyn Shuk, is SVAC’s president-elect.]
While her parents are still in the area, her son, 33, lives in Long Beach, and her daughter, 35, lives in West Hollywood. It took her several years to adjust to being an empty-nester.
“I didn’t know what kind of toilet paper I liked. I didn’t know what kind of food I liked,” she said.
Over the past decade, however, she said she has really “gotten into the groove,” embracing the new chapter of her life and becoming more involved in the community. She sits on the board of a local retirement community, Valley Village.
Additionally, Cooper tries to stay connected to Santa Clara’s cultural roots, serving as a docent at deSaisset Museum at Santa Clara University. In that role, she teaches elementary students about the impact and legacy of the area’s Ohlone tribe.
For better or worse, Santa Clara is a part of Cooper’s very fabric. Imagining her life anywhere else is nearly impossible.
“It is part of who I am, and I can’t seem to escape it. It has created for me that sense of security and that sense of community. That has been very positive in my life,” she said. “Here I am, and this is the outcome. I had a very happy childhood … I equate Santa Clara with that happiness.”
Contact David Alexander at d.todd.alexander@gmail.com
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