Back row from left: Jonathan Cogan, Jeff Dix, Stephanie Cogan Dix, Kevin Cogan, Diana Cogan, Timothy Cogan, Maribeth Ruddell Cogan, Casey Cockrill and Rachel Cogan Cockrill.

The Cogan clan has deep orange and green roots.

When the family relocated from Carrollton, Texas, to the smaller city of Oak Point in the ’90s, Diana Cogan PhD’16 decided to give home schooling a try. She hoped it would keep the family closely knit after noticing that her daughters, Rachel and Stephanie, rarely saw each other while attending the same elementary school.

It was a hope that came to fruition through their school years, even continuing after home schooling ended. All four of her children – and their spouses – attended and earned degrees from The University of Texas at Dallas. Diana discovered such a love for teaching that she joined them and completed her doctorate in electrical engineering so she could, as she puts it, “teach grown-ups.”

UT Dallas was not the original plan. Diana and her husband, Kevin, earned engineering degrees from Texas A&M University, and the Cogan children grew up thinking that becoming Aggies was the end game.

Plans changed when they visited a growing local university.

“One of my husband’s co-workers told him about UT Dallas because he found out our eldest daughter, Rachel, was interested in electrical engineering,” Diana said. “We came and visited, and my husband and I were blown away. UTD was still very much focused on engineering. I joked, ‘Rachel can go to A&M, but when I get the kids out of the house, I’m coming here for my PhD.’”

Rachel did not choose College Station; instead, she earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from UTD’s Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science in 2008. She went on to work six years at Raytheon before becoming a stay-at-home mother to home-school her own children.

“UTD felt more like a place I could settle in and find my own pace,” Rachel said. “It was more comfortable, and I liked that it was closer to home.”

Following Rachel was Stephanie, who majored in both psychology and child learning and development in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, with a minor in performing arts.

“My sister and I were roommates while we overlapped. I enjoyed having her around, especially my senior year,” Rachel said. “She made sure I was eating while working on my senior project.”

Stephanie went on to earn a master’s degree in counseling and development from Texas Woman’s University. She worked as a mental health counselor and later taught sixth and eighth grade. She, too, is now home-schooling two of her children.

“Moving away from home and transitioning to college wasn’t easy, but being in the student organization FOCUS surrounded me with people who sincerely care about me,” Stephanie said. “Being part of that organization shaped, and continues to shape, my life in beautiful ways.”

Jonathan Cogan followed his sisters and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in accounting from the Naveen Jindal School of Management. He is now working toward a master’s degree in systems engineering and management. He also works at UTD as an enterprise systems developer in the Office of Information Technology.

“I remember talking to an academic counselor about possible colleges, and she had recommended trying Tulsa or something like that, but UT Dallas felt like the logical choice,” Jonathan said, “partly because my two older siblings had gone and partly because they give out good scholarships.”

Finally, it was Timothy’s turn — as well as his mother’s. Timothy was part of the University’s first biomedical engineering graduating class, a time during which he gained an interest in medical device software. He went on to complete his master’s degree and PhD in electrical engineering at UTD in 2017 and 2021, respectively, and is now a senior data scientist and co-founder of MedCognetics, a company that leverages artificial intelligence to enhance breast imaging. MedCognetics was launched through UTD’s Venture Development Center.

“We started at the same time in fall 2010,” said Diana, who recalled the warm reception she received by the faculty, some of whom remembered teaching Rachel.

“They were willing to work with me despite me being out of engineering for decades. The support I got was really great,” Diana said.

She is now an associate professor of instruction in electrical and computer engineering and has been a member of the Jonsson School faculty since 2016. She teaches courses on digital systems and digital circuits, among other subjects.

Three of the Cogan children are married – all to fellow Comets. Altogether, the family has 12 degrees from UT Dallas, and Jonathan is working on the 13th.

“I didn’t intend to start a trend,” Rachel said. “I just decided UTD was where I was going to go, and everyone else saw a fit, too, and followed. It was fun; I’m glad we all did it.”

– Paul Bottoni

The family tree includes Diana Cogan PHD 2016 and Kevin Cogan; Rachel Cogan Cockrill BS 2008 and Casey Cockrill MBA 2012; Jonathan Cogan BS 2012; Stephanie Cogan Dix BS 2010 and Jeff Dix BS 2007, MS 2009; and Timothy Cogan BS 2015, MS 2017, PhD 2021 and Maribeth Ruddell Cogan BS 2015, MS 2018.