June 23rd is International Women in Engineering Day, and we’re excited to be celebrating our women engineers at Crescent Power Systems. Read on to learn more about Kalyn, Trina, and Natalie, what they love about the industry, and the advice they’d give young women considering engineering.
Kalyn Bullock-Griffin, Engineer since 2003
What does being a woman in this field mean to you?
Being a woman in the field of engineering in a historically male-dominated industry means that I can do anything God has for me.
What is your favorite thing about the job?
My favorite part of my job before and present-day is that no day is ever the same. It’s full of opportunities that test my ability to research, use my technical skills, and communicate with internal/external clients. This job also allows me to have a good work/life balance.
What advice would you give to a woman thinking of going into the engineering field?
The advice I would give to a young lady contemplating entering the field is to go for it! There are organizations that provide support from other women as well, you are not in this alone. Always remember iron sharpens iron. Also, although, we are in the minority in this field, we are respected and looked upon as being knowledgeable and dependable. Engineering will always challenge you, but we are women, we can handle it!
Trina Casbon, Engineer since 2009
What does being a woman in this field mean to you?
There can certainly be a lot of pressure to succeed and the feeling that you are representing all women, so failure is not an option. But I will say that I mostly feel lucky to be a part of something that, up until fairly recently, was not an option for women. It can be a struggle, but working for a company like CPS, who really supports women in this field, is inspiring.
What is your favorite thing about this job?
I really like meeting people. Talking with other engineers that are passionate about what they do, learning from them or even teaching them some things here and there are the things that drive me.
What advice would you give to a woman thinking of going into the engineering field?
Engineering is an amazingly rewarding and versatile field. There are so many opportunities. You can travel, you can stay in one place, there are so many different directions you can go with a degree in this field. There is really no other technical field that supports this kind of variety of opportunity.
Natalie Failla, Engineer since 2018
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I always wanted to be an engineer. As a kid, I loved taking things apart, putting them back together, trying to mix parts from other things to make something new, building-type toys, circuits sets, problem solving. It helped that, being the child of two engineers, that I had the exposure of what engineering was earlier than most. It’s funny, I actually remember being little and specifying that I didn’t mean driving a train when I said that my parents were engineers because I feel like that was the only time most kids heard the term “engineer.”
What’s your favorite part of the job?
My favorite thing about this job is the variety of work I get to do and the team I get to do it all with. From inspections to drawing reviews to customer/supplier management, I learn something new every day as our team bounces ideas off each other.
What advice would you give to a woman thinking of going into the engineering field?
Just be confident and don’t be intimidated. For school, try to find a solid study group. Some people learn better from teaching, some learn from being up at a whiteboard talking it through with the “teacher,” some do well just watching all that unfold, some just need the support while they do their own thing – having my study group that covered all those bases really helped me. Also, it simultaneously develops collaboration skills that can often get overlooked in school but are essential in the professional world.