I was inspired to become a Girl Day Role
Model after being introduced to Discover E’s Engineers Week a few years ago on
social media.
I
was thrilled to learn that there was even such a thing as Engineer’s Week
because I love Engineering. And I
almost missed out on the chance to study Engineering Technology because I just
didn’t know about it.
And
I should have because my father is an Engineer.
I knew that growing up but I didn’t think much about it.
During
middle school and especially High School, I thought I wanted to be a Fashion
Designer because I learned to sew & I love Vogue and clothes and makeup.
I
thought it was sewing that I liked, but I later found out it was the process of
knowing how an article of clothing comes to existence.
So
the decision to study Engineering Technology came during college registration when I was signing up for
college classes and my parents were with me in the Gym, and the Registrar asked
me what classes I wanted to take, what did I want to major in? And I really didn’t know so my dad said,
Samantha, you can try Engineering, they always need female Engineers.
So I gave it a go, I signed up to major in
Electrical Engineering Technology at South Carolina State University and I
never looked back.
I gave Engineering a Go (because someone I
know and trust made a suggestion)
And I’m inspired to be a Girl Day Role Model
so I can make a suggestion. A suggestion
to all young people and especially girls so we can have more of a mix of
diversity in Engineering. A suggestion
to a young person that has no idea what that nagging in their head is. To suggest their Gift and Purpose and Skill
may be invisible. To suggest their path,
their Career -- is the Process of
Thought. To suggest Engineering, and to
bring forth the potential for more solutions, more cures, more products,
services, technology, space travel, agriculture, manufacturing, everything
resource driven that improves quality of life.
It is now my turn to make a SUGGESTION.
My
own story impacts my outreach efforts.
My own story says that an Engineering candidate may not know Engineering
is their gift. And this is true for
girls too.
I
know they may be expressing themselves in ways that materialize as cooking,
sewing, athletics, anything really. Some
of these ways are UNCONVENTIONAL.
My
outreach efforts show Engineering in ways that are in fact
‘unconventional’. When I was a middle
school student, it would have benefitted me to know that my interests in
sewing, cooking, shop, and athletics are tied to my Engineering abilities. Maybe by pointing out there was a reason why
my success in Gymnastics increased when my understanding of the mechanics of
gymnastics increased.
I can
say with confidence that when someone says Cosmetics or Soda the first thing
they do not think of is ENGINEERING.
But Cosmetic Chemistry, Manufacturing Engineering, and Industrial
Engineering are all tied to Makeup and Beverages.
I use
these unconventional expressions of Engineering to reach what young people like
and find interesting. And I also like
them and find them interesting. It’s no secret that beauty and fashion and
makeup and selfies and snapchat are even more popular these days as social
media abounds.
So
working in the Cosmetics Manufacturing field gives me the perfect opportunity
to be relevant to what young people and main stream society are drawn to.
We do
things in our Beauty Lab like label all our materials with formal scientific
names and chemical formulas. We also
have process posters that list scientific vocabulary and facts about color
theory and -- nutrition data about plant material. We do this so that when guests come to our
Lab, they see makeup that is popular and information that is familiar, most of
the time, people say “I just studied about antioxidants or minerals in one of
my STEM classes.’ This allows them to
see the technical math & science world as a part of popular culture. This makes my ‘choose Engineering’
suggestion easier and more exciting.
I
also go to our local school and volunteer in their STEM initiatives. Because I used to work for Pepsi Cola in
Manufacturing Operations, I used to go to classrooms and I called myself Mrs.
Sodamaker. We would make a mock soda and
talk about Carbon Dioxide, Water and the Water Cycle, Fructose &
Agriculture and more. Students loved
seeing how soda was made. It’s an
unconventional approach to introducing Engineering.
My
own story impacts my outreach in ways that are unconventional. We have a LIP GLOSS LAB to introduce Girls to
Engineering. I think that is
unconventional. And that would have
peaked my interest as a Middle and High School student.
I
hope to do the same for others.
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