My journey to engineering began in my childhood years. When I was young, I was curious about how things worked. I liked to tinker and solve problems. When something broke in our house, the call went out, “Go get Alicia.”
Eventually, my curiosity led to an interest in math and
But my family thought otherwise. They encouraged me and, more importantly, expected me to pursue my interest.
My grandmother is a retired RN, and she was a powerful role model for me. She was a great example of following your passion and never giving up, even when things were challenging.
My mom was cut from the same cloth. She made sure my siblings and I knew we could become anything we set our minds to becoming.
My older sister had an interest in medicine. My mom said, “You can do that.” She actually went on to become an attorney.
I had an interest in engineering. She said, “Girls can do that, too.” I believed what my mom told me and here I am today.
Thankfully, a school counselor stepped in and introduced me to a summer program for high school students interested in learning more about engineering careers. It was at General Motors Institute in Flint, Michigan, which is now Kettering University.
GM sponsored me, and I attended during the summer after my junior year. So, it is no stretch to say GM launched me on my engineering career – and that was many years and several jobs before I ever joined the company.
I was fortunate. I had adults in my life who believed I had a future as an engineer. That led me to Northwestern University where I earned a degree in Chemical Engineering, and several years working in the pharmaceutical and food product industries.
Then GM offered me a job in manufacturing engineering, for which I had no experience. They took a chance on me, just like they did when I was in high school. And I loved the work.
A few years into the job, I requested a transfer to a supervisor position in an assembly plant. Many people thought I was crazy.
I had never worked in a manufacturing plant or supervised people – many old enough to be my parents. But I wanted to learn how to build cars and trucks, so I took the job.
I learned some of my engineering skills were transferrable, like focusing on details and analyzing data, but I also found I had a lot to learn about managing people. Again, I was fortunate because I found great mentors.
All along the way, I was pushed to try new things and kept learning new skills both inside and outside of engineering. My mentors taught me to set clear expectations, follow through and address problems head on. I learned a great mentor doesn’t have to look like you or even think like you. More importantly, I learned what it means to be a good mentor to others.
I believe we can never overestimate the impact we can have on young people who are considering careers in science, technology, engineering, or math. It can be as simple as exposure to STEM opportunities and the encouragement to try it – like what happened early in my life.
We’ve all seen the numbers. By 2020, it’s estimated the U.S. will face a shortage of roughly half a million engineers.
And it’s not just engineering. Today, we have similar shortages in virtually every STEM field. In fact, 80 percent of future jobs in the U.S. are expected to be STEM-related.
This critical shortage threatens to undermine our nation’s ability to compete in a world increasingly dependent on technology and innovation. I know I’m not alone in saying that, as leaders, we have a special obligation to support STEM education at all levels.
There is a real and urgent need for all of us to be part of this important effort. In the end, it’s an investment that benefits all of us – especially our children and grandchildren.
