Not Just a Minority in a STEM Field

Our next guest blogger for Women's History Month comes to us with two Bachelor of Science degrees in Bioengineering and Exercise Science. She's currently working as a Comfort Engineer in product development for Ford Motor Company in Michigan. After excelling in her undergraduate program both in the classroom and in professional organizations (American Chemical Society, Women in STEM Excelling), Amber Hall is now blazing the way for all those girls interested in making a name in industry and engineering. In her spare time, she is constantly searching for adventure and knowledge, and also keeps a blog of her own. Check it out here!

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"If you're a 'minority in a STEM field', you've probably heard the aforementioned or something similar in your career. Naturally, you get defensive. While warranted, it's not necessarily the best choice...

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As a suburban black girl who started her science journey at the age of five, all I ever wanted was to be an anesthesiologist and change the world one person at a time. My love for the human body and building things have carried with me as I've gotten older. I still remember my uncle suggesting that there was NO way that was going to happen and that I didn't know what I was talking about. Anesthesiologist, I am not. I am, however, in my opinion something much greater than that. I am an engineer, an inventor, and a philanthropist.  While my dreams have grown and evolved with the knowledge and experience I've gained over my academic career, I am still changing the world one person and product at a time.

"The journey has not been easy...what I've come to learn, is that life is about balance."

Helping people has always been my passion. As a little girl I was drawn to the endless possibilities medicine had to offer. I realized later when I went to college that I could help people well beyond what I could fathom. My passion and desire for enriching the community started at an early age. I can recall the days when I was a 4-H member so my most recent experiences as an engineer making sure the voice of the customer is heard. The journey has not been easy. There have certainly been exams, people, and circumstances that have made it difficult to want to continue, but what I've come to learn is that life is about balance. In my current career there have been a host of things that have frustrated me along the way, but what I've been able to do in my field makes me smile everyday. There's no question that there are politics, rules, and barriers in any STEM field, but there's one very important lesson in creating change for the better that I want to leave with you:

"It's one thing to identify that there's a problem. It's an even better thing to identify the problem, and have a solution to resolve it. That's what makes you a great scientist, engineer, or doctor!"

Below is a really neat video of two well known professional tennis players. The gender digs that are thrown in are fun, but I'm sure there are some girls out there that'd like to do what Maria Sharapova did to Novak Djokovic if the person...'didn't mean to offend them'. Enjoy!"