Diversity Statement

I grew up loving school and was interested in almost every subject. My parents were the sort who made sure to expose my younger sister and me to a wide swath of experiences, from natural history museums to dance performances. I broke the career counseling software in eighth grade because I couldn’t narrow down what I wanted to do. I wanted to do everything.

It wasn’t until I was applying to colleges that I happened upon engineering. As a declared math major, I initially shrugged off my dad’s suggestion that we check out the engineering open house at TCNJ. Once we got there, though, everything clicked. Here was a field where you could implement math and science, but also art and writing. I could do everything!

In my engineering career, my experiences have been varied and fruitful. I’ve built green commuter vehicles at MIT. I’ve worked to make the cement and concrete industry greener. I’ve made piezoelectric devices that can harvest vibrations and convert them into electricity to make more efficient household appliances.

I am proud of my successes, but this career path has been very lonely.

When I got to engineering school, I didn’t know the first thing about the tools of the trade. Students who had worked on cars at home or taken wood shop at school knew their way around the engineering labs. They thought it was strange that someone in engineering wouldn’t know those things, and made sure to say so. I felt like an outsider, like everyone knew what was going on but me. I was ashamed to have to retake classes because it took me longer to get concepts than other students. I felt like a confirmation of what one student said: “Women shouldn’t be engineers, and they shouldn’t be engineering professors, because they don’t know anything.” I started my mechanical engineering education at TCNJ with about 25% women in the department, but with incessant comments like these, I was the only woman left by the time I graduated in 2007.

I have endured more than my fair share of ignorant comments and abuse in engineering. In the wake of these experiences, I have made it my life’s mission to fight for those who feel like they can’t do, like they don’t belong. I firmly believe that all it takes to be an engineer is genuine interest and pride in your work. No one should have to walk away due to classroom environment or departmental culture.

In 2013, I became the first female engineering professor at the County College of Morris. I was one of the five faculty advisers of the Women in STEM club there, and I founded a chapter of SWE. I developed and implemented an Engineering Orientation program for new students with women in mind which received overwhelmingly positive feedback. I participated in outreach with students at area schools to generate interest in engineering. I worked on a joint task force to develop remedial math problems that expose students to real-world engineering challenges.

Through my graduate career, women in the School of Engineering have continued to be sparse, even at a university as diverse as Rutgers. Since I returned in 2016, I have been extremely active in the SWE Grad section at Rutgers on the executive board, and I attend state chapter meetings as well. I organized the first annual STEM Community Outreach Symposium at Rutgers, bridging high school and college students, industrial representatives, and the general public to learn about what Rutgers has to offer and what it’s like to be a scientist or engineer.

I aim to continue this work and expand upon this work. I want to be the mentor I wish I had.