Release:
August 4, 2021

Women of NATE Today Newsletter
Volume 3, Issue 8

Did you know that roughly 49.5% of the world’s population are women? According to an article published by Institute for Women’s Policy Research (2018), only 7.2% of women worked full-time in male-dominated occupations in the United States. Male-dominated occupations are defined as those that include 25% or less women. In the report, engineering is the most male-dominated profession as women engineers comprise only 15% of the engineering workforce. Being a woman engineer in a male-dominated Industry has been a challenge in my professional life. Coming from minority group has made even more challenging.

My career story starts with perusing a degree in civil/structural engineering in 2003 when my father submitted my application to appear in the entrance exam for an engineering college. Like most teenagers, I had no knowledge of what I desired to do as an adult or as an occupation. I was leaning towards possibly perusing a career in nursing. Even though Civil Engineering was not my first professional choice at that time, I completed three years at a Technical College in Nepal, receiving a Civil Engineering Associate's Degree. No one in my family was in the engineering field and I was a first-generation college graduate. After coming to U.S. to further my career, I continued my education earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering. Although I had the choice of changing to another field of study, I liked the challenge and wanted to succeed in structural engineering. Throughout my education and time spent in the engineering field, I noticed that there was not an abundance of women in structural engineering in comparison to men. You can find more female engineers in other fields of civil engineering such as water, wastewater, transportation, and geotechnical than in structural and construction.

It was little difficult to get full time job back in 2009 because of  the economic recession. Most of my friends decided to continue with obtaining a MS degree in leu of finding full time employment in their fields. While I was in college, I was able to gain one and half years of experience working as an intern for an engineering company which included projects for nuclear power plants before graduation. I was able to find employment in late 2009 in the utility/telecommunication manufacturing Industry as a design engineer. Having this intern experience coupled with a high GPA and my dedication played a large roll in securing my first career employment. Once there, I noticed that only a few women in the drafting department and only one female engineer in the utility department, me. It really hit home that this industry was dominated by men and I would have to work hard to prove myself.

Leaping forward in time from the first internship job to now (13 years), I have moved up in positions and been with several companies in different capacities such as, Design Engineer, Project Engineer, Senior Telecommunication Structure Engineer, Structural Project Manager, Technical Director, and now Principal Structural Engineer. Everywhere I have been employed, the number of female engineers was always less than male engineers. 

Looking inwards at the telecommunication Industry, I have seen a lot of women in customer service, business development, sales, drafting and project management, but I still see very few women in technical/engineering departments. The typical challenge women engineers face, as a minority, is to be heard. Many times, their great ideas or results are not fully trusted, vetted or not included. These challenges are both in the workplace and with clients. It is harder to be heard as a woman engineer and, in my opinion, room for improvement. I have seen many improvements within management, companies and individually, but looking broader, there continues to be a need for future generations of woman to overcome these challenges.

The Leadership Summit held by Women of NATE (WON) is greatly empowering women in our industry. The motivational stories published in each monthly journal is very helpful for onboarding females into our Industry. I look forward supporting woman in our industry and possibly becoming a mentor to young woman engineers who may be facing challenges in their career. It would be my pleasure to support WON in all that they do and learn from the experience.  

WON Profile: Diane Mueller

Mentorship Motivators

OUR MENTORING EXPERIENCE

By Chelsea Hood and Rebecca Bertram

I also hoped that I would discover things about myself along the way that maybe I did not know. I rely heavily on my daily experiences and interactions with others to learn and grow. Without putting yourself in different situations or the unknown, how can you truly know yourself fully and what you are capable of? We can predict how we might handle something or react to a certain situation, but we do not truly know until we are living it.

Initially going into the program, I put a lot of pressure on myself, I kept telling myself that I need to be the perfect mentor, this was a time that I needed to be on my perfect game, I needed to have all the right answers, I was going to be expected to have all the answers. This mindset was an unfair expectation of myself and to the program. The WON Mentorship program is about connecting people, sharing experiences, and learning from one another. The opportunity to be involved in the program could not have come at a better time, Rebecca and I were introduced by Christy Hall in November 2020. After individually navigating months of living, working, and trying to run a business in the new “not so normal” COVID world, many of our initial conversations were focused on lessons learned, adapting to challenges, and what the future workplace might look like. We like to start most of our meetings by sharing a moment we are proud of since we last met and something we wish we would have done better. It does not have to be specific to work, we talk about our lives overall as we can both appreciate how one affects the other. Through this mentorship program I have been reminded of challenges I have overcome in my career, relating back to some of them in our conversations. This opportunity to self-reflect on these moments may not have happened without this opportunity WON provided. It is all too easy to rush through life, without ever properly reflecting, which is key to continued growth.

I am thankful for the mentors I have had in my life and career. I won’t say that I have been everything Rebecca needed in a mentor at this point in her career, but I will say that we’ve developed a type of friendship and a trust that I hadn’t expected going into the program. The opportunity to have an outside comrade that you can truly be vulnerable with, has been extremely rewarding. Rebecca’s fearless attitude and commitment to her role and team is unmatched. She sets the bar high in everything she does. I am reminded every time we meet how much I enjoy watching others around me grow, and overcome obstacles, challenge themselves and learn to be open to personal change. I cannot even express how much satisfaction and fulfillment I get in not only watching others learn, grow, and become rock stars in their careers, but when I may have had a part in creating an environment where they found that success or provided a sounding board and guidance to help them overcome an obstacle, that is what makes all the hard days’ worth it! I have been inspired by Rebecca and how quickly she has advanced in her career. I have so much I still can and want to learn from others like her.

Leadership is a privilege; it is about serving others and it comes with much responsibility. As a mentor, your influence could affect the course of someone’s entire career and often lives!

I was not sure what to expect when I joined Women of NATE. While I was hopeful for the opportunity to network with individuals who faced some of the same challenges I faced and also understood the high notes of a job well done, I otherwise had no concrete expectations. I joined Pinkham Cyr Inc (PCI) in 2015, which was my entry into this complex industry. We are a small telecommunications contractor that is, like many other companies and the industry as a whole, overwhelmingly male. I love the close-knit team here and after getting my bearings in my role, I was ready to take on more responsibility and learn more about the bigger picture but was unsure how to proceed. When Christy Hall called me to discuss matching me with a mentor, I was immediately excited for the opportunity and to meet Chelsea to officially start our WON mentorship!

Chelsea came across as a laid-back person with a sense of adventure. Overbuilding our relationship, I realized she has the same work ethic, cares, and concerns that I have, and I am inspired by her dedication to her work and team. While I am sure that I could glean something from anyone I was paired with, talking with and learning from Chelsea has exceeded my expectations. Being mentored by someone who is outside my organization and located across the country actually removes barriers and adds to the trust that is crucial to a good mentorship relationship. Being vulnerable with colleagues can be tricky as you want to maintain professionalism but also be "real." I tend to be guarded and as a shy, reserved person, can find it difficult to foster relationships. The first step of reaching out and striking up a conversation is often the hardest part! Mentorship provided not only structure, but also a safe space for me to open up. Several times I have found myself asking about a specific issue I was facing that felt unique to me, only to have Chelsea reply with how she conquered a very similar problem. While I may have otherwise felt alone, I benefitted from hearing her advice as well as having someone commiserate with my experiences.

The timing of this mentorship has also been invaluable. COVID-19 presented many challenges across the board, but specifically for relationships as networking opportunities and in-person gatherings were put on hold. Regularly scheduled conversations with someone else in the industry has been so helpful to me, particularly in a time when many were feeling isolated. While I generally lean on Chelsea for advice, we have also been able to bounce ideas off of each other. I felt safe asking Chelsea questions over the last year, especially as we were both facing unprecedented circumstances. Chelsea has been an amazing sounding board, but I have also been inspired and motivated to make tangible, positive changes within my role and broader organization that directly stemmed from our conversations.

I would encourage everyone to participate in the mentorship program either as a mentor or mentee. I believe the benefits as a mentee are pretty clear, however, I hope anyone considering becoming a mentor understands the impact it can have on someone else's career and life. It is extremely generous to volunteer your time and energy to help someone else with their goals, but hopefully, the payoff of making a difference in someone else's life makes it all worth it. I can only hope I have made my appreciation clear to Chelsea and that I can pay it forward in the future.

Where will you find the Women of NATE?

Take Women of NATE with you!

Are you traveling for work or taking a leisure vacation? Take a creative photo holding a Women of NATE (WON) logo in front of a landmark that lets us know where you are. 

Enjoying the view at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. The Eiffel Tower is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. 

Women of NATE member spending time on the beautiful beaches of Spain.

Upcoming Events

Women’s Equality Day commemorates August 26, 1920 when the 19th amendment  of the U.S. constitution was officially certified granting women the right to vote. This day marks a turning point in the history of the struggle for equal treatment of women and women’s rights.

Learn about Women’s Equality Day

Women’s Equality Day has been designed to commemorate the Nineteenth Amendment being adopted in the 1920s in the United States. This act stopped the federal government and states from preventing people the right to vote based on their sex. 

History of Women’s Equality Day

Women’s Equality Day has been celebrated for many years. It was direst celebrated in 1973. Since then, the United States President has proclaimed the date. The date has been selected to commemorate the day in the 1920s when Bainbridge Colby, who was the Secretary of State at the time, signed the proclamation that gave women in the United States the constitutional right to vote.

In 1920, the day stood for the result of 72 years of campaigning by a huge civil rights movement for women. Prior to movements like these, even respected thinkers such as Rousseau and Kant believed that woman’s inferior status in society was completely logical and reasonable; women were ‘beautiful’ and ‘not fit for serious employment’.

Over the last century, great women have proved these views wrong as the world has witnessed just what women are capable of achieving, from the likes of Rosa Parks and Eleanor Roosevelt fighting for civil rights and equality to great scientists such as Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin and Jane Goodall. The last century has shown more than ever what both women and men are capable of achieving, given the opportunity.

Today, women’s equality has grown to mean much more than just sharing the right to the vote. Organizations such as Equality Now and Womankind Worldwide continue to work to provide women across the globe with equal opportunities to education and employment, pushing against suppression and violence towards women and against the discrimination and stereotyping which still occur in every society.

Every year, the president reads a proclamation, noting the amazing work of trailblazers in this movement. In 2016, President Barack Obama said the following:

“Today, as we celebrate the anniversary of this hard-won achievement and pay tribute to the trailblazers and suffragists who moved us closer to a more just and prosperous future, we resolve to protect this constitutional right and pledge to continue fighting for equality for women and girls”.

How to celebrate Women’s Equality Day

There are a number of different ways that you can celebrate Women’s Equality Day. One of the best things to do on this date is to pay tribute to the amazing females that have made a massive difference in the movement. Spend some time doing research online to educate yourself further on the matter. You can spread information with your friends, family members, and followers online so that you can increase awareness amongst all of your loved ones. 

Another way to celebrate Women’s Equality Day is to register to vote if you have not already. Exercising your constitutional protected right to vote is the best thing you can do on this date. Local and state elections happen on a yearly basis, so you need to make sure your registration is current. You can use the Vote.Gov website to discover how to register based on the state you are located in.

You can also learn everything you need to know about how to vote. You will need to keep your voter registration updated if you have moved to another state since you last voted. You should also use this as an opportunity to make sure that all of your loved ones have registered to vote as well. You can post details on your social media so that everyone knows how to vote and they feel encouraged to do so. 

It is also a good idea to spend some time learning about female leaders of the past and the present. A wise place to start is with Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. They were the two women who organized the first female rights convention. This took place in July of 1848 in the Seneca Falls area of New York. At the convention, the Declaration of Sentiments was adopted by the delegates, as well as a number of resolutions, one of which called for women’s right to vote. There are a number of other influential females that we would recommend learning more about. This includes Julia Ward Howe and Lucy Stone, who were both the founders of the American Woman Suffrage Association. 

Another great way to spend Women’s Equality Day is by visiting a women’s museum. If you take a look online, you are probably going to be surprised by the number of women’s museums that there are around the world. After all, women have had a long fight on their hands in order to be considered equal, and so there are a number of museums that are dedicated to showing the story of these movements. You can do a quick search online to see if there are any museums in your local area. Some may even have special exhibitions going on for this date. 

Finally, if you run your own business, you should use this day as an opportunity to make sure that you can confidently say your business is one that has achieved equality across the board. Is there a gender pay gap at your business? If so, strategize on how you can change this. We know it may not be feasible for you to increase everyone’s wages overnight, but you can start formulating a plan to make sure that women are considered equal to men in your workplace. This not only relates to the money they receive, but also the opportunities that come their way as well. 

Recent Event Highlights

Women of NATE in Action

Women in the industry come together at the Women in Fiber Luncheon during the Fiber Connect Convention in Nashville, Tennessee.

Please send recipes with photos to Nikki Gronau at nikki@natehome.com.