I am part of a split generation. I am one of those children born somewhere between the end of Generation X and the beginning of Generation Y and the Millennials. Those of us born during this time are comfortable with technology, as we were young enough to fully grasp it easily, yet we also remember life before the internet and cell phones. It’s been a marvel to grow up and see all these changes. My father was an early adopter of technology and I remember him calling me over to sit with him as he made a phone call over the internet! He wanted to experience that moment with me and excitedly told me to remember this moment – because the emergence of this technology was going to change the world. I sat patiently and watched, fascinated as we made contact across the country to one of his friends through our home computer. Having grown up from a young age with technology, it has been second nature for me to work with computers and software.
I also built snow forts as a child. Not just a wall or a bank of snow, but domed buildings a 10-year-old child could stand up in, all out of snow and ice, using various bowls and tools to make snow bricks. One of my larger forts was featured in the local newspaper, but no one ever told me to become an architect.
In junior high school, in secret I borrowed all of my cousin Chris’s college nuclear physics text books to read for pleasure. I was addicted to these books, and could not wait for each of his semesters to end so I could get the next level of books. No one ever told me to become a physicist. On the contrary, I was frequently told I “read too much for a girl”, by family and teachers.
As I entered into high school, I continued to learn about computer hardware, software, and learned some basic programming, but no one ever told me to become a computer engineer. Our school did not offer any courses, nor were any offered at the local community college at the time, on computer programming or computer science. The closest class offered was on typing. Yes, typing, and all women were expected to take it. Although my father worked as an IT manager at a local company, he never encouraged me to follow in his footsteps or encouraged my fascination with technology. When I started my first job as a system specialist, one male coworker mistook me for the new administrative assistant and was frustrated I didn’t know anything about the office printer. Another male colleague told others that I am “so smart and capable for a girl”.
As only the second woman in my family to attend college (my aunt became a school teacher), it was a daunting task to determine what exactly I wanted to do. As a woman with interests ranging from music, to art, to physics, mathematics, and engineering, I found the choice particularly difficult. I had support from my family, of course, but mostly a vague encouragement to attend college; I had no influence or encouragement to enter an engineering field. I was in fact actively discouraged from entering any sort of scientific field by my high school guidance counselor. In the end, I chose to follow my heart and enter the field of music performance and education. However, as I neared the end of my third year at college, I was faced with sudden family issues. I had to find a job, and fast. I took advantage of what I believed to be the most marketable skill I had – my experience working with computers.
Finding role models, especially fellow women, has always been a challenge for young women in the STEM fields. Sometimes we must look in strange places, and sometimes we find them where we least expect them. As I grew into my career, I met two wonderful feminists who became my strong guides and mentors. One is a good friend, Victor, and the other is now my husband, Jon. It took two feminist men to show me how best to grow as an engineer and as a woman, finding my strength in my career. Through their support, I found authors, such as Dr. Brene Brown, Ph.D., to help me navigate the world. At 33 years old, I can count on one hand the number of fellow women I have worked with that are in a STEM field. This is still one of the greatest issues facing our society, as we strive for full equality in spirit as well as by law. We women who work in STEM, who work side by side in a male-dominated field, have a duty to each other and those who will come after us to continue to pave the way.
As more and more women enter these scientific fields, the challenge of young women finding role models changes and grows. Since I grew up without these role models and without that encouragement I needed as a child, I have made it a point to sit with every young person I meet to discuss the benefits of science, technology, engineering, and math and all related fields. I tell my story, and I describe the wealth and multitude of career options available that are rarely spoken of in student orientation or high school preparatory classes. This is the next great challenge we face, as a society and as engineers, to be those role models, and to show every young person the joy of following your passion. I encourage each and every one of you to be that role model to the young woman voraciously reading books, to the little girl down the street building a snow fort, and the woman in the next office whom a male colleague mistook for the new administrative assistant.
Sometimes one must look in strange places to find mentors. This is a challenge those of us in the STEM industries constantly struggle with and frequently overcome. It’s a continuing challenge – with a solution we can all be a part of. And it all starts with just encouraging one more person, one more young girl, and/or having one more adult conversation that opens someone’s eyes.