What I Do I am a Program Manager in the Verizon Business Group. I manage projects to improve the way Verizon does business by improving and automating internal processes.
Why Engineering? I see the world as a collection of puzzles and engineering is a fun way of solving them. I am always trying to figure out how things work and how they could work better. Engineering can be applied in so many areas of life so it never gets boring!
School Days I went to Johns Hopkins University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering.
My Day At Work In my first job at Hewlett Packard, I designed, wrote, and tested firmware for our supercomputers. I learned how the electronics were supposed to work and wrote software to monitor and control them to make sure everything working correctly. I also wrote software to test the firmware that my team developed. In most my of my career since then, I have been a project manager and an engineering manager. I help figure out what work needs to be done to design, develop, and test new products and then I manage teams to get all of the work done with the budget and time we are given. Most of the products I have helped develop have been medical devices so I have also been able to learn and apply the special regulations required by the FDA to ensure our products were safe and effective.
Best Part I love solving problems. Whether it's a new design that has to be figured out from scratch or fixing issues with existing designs, I love digging in to understand a problem and then seeing it work in the end. Nothing beats the satisfaction of things working like you expect them to at the end of an engineering project.
Proud Moments I'm most proud of the times when my teams have come together to solve really hard problems. There have been many times when problems arise that seem impossible to fix, but a team of determined engineers can almost always work together to find a solution. I'm always proud when a new product is released that my teams contributed to. The idea that there are products that I worked on out there in businesses and hospitals being used by people to help do their jobs is very exciting.
Challenges I think the biggest challenge I've faced and had to overcome is learning to handle difficult personalities in the professional world. We all get to work with people from all backgrounds with different perspectives, attitudes, and opinions. The more we embrace these differences and see the unique contribution each person brings to a solution, the more successful each individual and each team will be. There will always be people we don't get along well with, but I've learned that getting to know people and understanding them always helps build bridges that make working together much more enjoyable.
Dreams and Goals My short term goals are always simply to give my best every day and to add the most value at work that I can. Long term, I would love to be a consultant for entrepreneurs and small businesses to help them figure out how to get started and how to be successful in product design. There are so many people with so many great ideas, but it can be overwhelming to put all the pieces together to make their ideas a reality. I would like to use my experience to help other people make their dreams come true.
Inspiration My parents have always been a big inspiration to me. My dad is that guy who can always do and fix anything. He taught me to not be afraid to take things apart and figure them out and he has always challenged me to work through problems with a positive attitude. My mom has always taken risks and pursued her dreams even when it's really hard and scary. I've always admired her willingness to step past her fears to try new things. They also work together as a great team in life and have shown me the value of persevering through challenging times to see the reward of having made it through to the other side stronger and better than before.
Want to be an Engineer? Chase after what you love and don't ever doubt yourself. If you feel like people don't take you seriously as a female engineer, confidently prove them wrong and most importantly, always be true to yourself.