Why More Women Don’t Lead and Innovate - Transforming Your STEM Career Through Leadership and Innovation - page 53

and a mother to figure out how to become a leader in my field and balance what I
considered to be my duties at home. Additionally, as an undergraduate attending
community college I had never met a female engineering professor. So although I
was an “engineering major” I had a difficult time “seeing” myself as an engineer.
To add more complexity (and uncertainty) to my equation, I was also a young
single mother and had never met a successful single mom who was an engineer.
However, when I entered the University of Oklahoma this changed and so
did my perception of what I could become. This happened as a result of good
role models, confronting my perceptions about my abilities, and professional
counseling. My confidence in what I could become became even more solid
when I met African-American female engineers. While this experience allowed
me to meet these individuals to be inspired, the state of technology today per-
mits us to be exposed to role models thousands of miles away. Thus, there is no
need for anyone that needs to be encouraged to be without the knowledge of a
person who has succeeded in a similar endeavor.
Even today, it is rare to see a “group” of powerful woman in a corporate set-
ting. It is often an isolated event, consisting of one lone woman who has somehow
set herself apart from the rest. This is not how things should be! A memory that
has stuck with me over the years occurred at a time when I was working on a proj-
ect in a mixed group of men and women, and someone joked that the women were
“taking over.” There were only about five females among twenty or so faculty, but
because in the engineering faculty environment having 25% female is unusual,
(and we did have powerful personalities), we were perceived as taking over.
Each of us has leadership skills in some area. If you have a goal and the pas-
sion to achieve it, rest assured, you have the potential to become a leader and
see this vision realized.
I have been fortunate enough to have many mentors from undergraduate and
graduate school and as a professional. One of my earliest mentors, Dr Howard
Adams, is a nationally recognized STEM mentor, and has spent years of his life
mentoring STEM professionals. Without his inspiration, faith in me, and constant
mentoring, I would never have received a single degree in engineering. I met Dr
Howard Adams when he arrived at the University of Oklahoma to give a speech
geared at encouraging minority students to consider graduate degrees in engineer-
ing. At the time, Dr Adams was Director of the GEM Foundation, and he was the
most inspirational and impressive person I had ever heard speak. Moreover, he
was telling me I could get a graduate degree in engineering - me, a young African-
American woman who was also a single mother. I was convinced I was the most
unlikely candidate for success in the entire room - that is, until I heard him speak.
Immediately after his speech I went up and introduced myself. I explained my
situation to him and asked if his comments still applied to me given my lack-luster
academic performance, financial challenges, and the fact that I was a single mother.
With complete confidence he totally assured me that I could in fact accomplish a
goal of a graduate degree - and even a PhD in engineering. He also gave me his
business card and made me promise him that I would stay in touch and share my