What I Do I am responsible for the ideation, planning and deployment of new solutions or tools to control robocalling for our users.
Why Engineering? I dreamed on becoming an astrounaut, astronauts typically need to be engineers so I chose Electrical Engineering as my major.
School Days I attended school in Colombia, I have a BS in Electrical Engineering and a Masters in Engineering Management for National Technological University in the US.
My Day At Work Requirements definition Braistorming/discussing solution ideas with colleagues Timelines planning Business justifications emails and conference calls
Best Part Analyzing situations were solutions are needed and ideate what potential solutions we can create. Deploying solutions and seeing them working
Proud Moments My proudest moment occured in Brazil where my team and I deployed the first Nextel International system in Rio de Janeiro and made the first call. Many months of time invested, planning, installing, programming and troubleshooting paid off when we were able to show the customer the system was working and we were able to make the first push to talk call from a cell phone.
Challenges A major challenge has been to get the respect and credibility not only from my peers but from my customers. There is always a time were you need to build your self confidence and reflect it on those you work with or work for so your ideas and contributions are valued which help you grow on your career.
My Family I am married and have one daughter. My extended family lives in Colombia. My husband is from Texas and he is also an engineer, my daughter is in college attending CU Boulder, Major in Mechanical Engineering
Dreams and Goals In the next 3 years I want to have my own engineering team, and be able to be the Subject Matter Expert in my area. In the next 10 years, I would like to start preparing for retirement, but my retirement would not be not working, but rather open time to contribute more to get students engaged and determine to becoming engineers. The US has a shortage of engineers and that gap is growing every year, other countries are taking the lead, we need to bring kids up to pair and help them overcome any apprehensions against engineering so they can succeed.
Inspiration My maternal grand mother always believed in me, she planted the seed on my that helped me to believe in my intellectual capabilities, it helped me to figure that I can do what ever I put my mind and focus on.
Want to be an Engineer? If you think you like engineering, educate yourself on the different areas, engineering has so many options, try new thing while you are in high school to figure if that is what you like, for example, try computer programing, try a circuits class or an architecture related class. Take math, physics and calculus are the basics and key for engineering colleges. Or if you like to protect the earth try environmental engineering. My best advise is to do some research, talk to people on the field, attend webinars or events where you can get information. Narrow down your likes to 2-3 options then apply to college.
Hobbies I love skiing, something about being outdoors in the winter makes me forget the winter blues. I also play a bit of guitar, but need to practice more frequently