Many students are testing the waters of career paths they are interested in taking, and the Women in Engineering lunch on Thursday, January 15 provided an opportunity for girls to meet and interact with professionals in the field.

“For the girls that have never even realized that engineering was a possible career, we want them to leave thinking, ‘I could see myself loving a job like the lady I just met at that event.’ There seems to be a misconception that women aren’t supposed to be engineers, when the people in the business world would tell you the exact opposite; they are clamoring for talented, intelligent women to join the ranks. For the girls already in our engineering courses, this is a great opportunity for them to network, learn about internship opportunities, set up job shadowing, and to have a more focused idea of what type of engineering they would like to pursue in college,” PLTW teacher Brett Kisker said.

Engineering provides many opportunities. Jobs vary from designing buildings, to site development, to using problem solving skills to help companies they work for. The girls sat down and talked with engineers that hold a wide range of positions.

“I have a friend in engineering at a hotel. I feel like you would get to experience new things every day as an engineer and it would be a valuable way to spend my career,” sophomore Bri Holdshoe said.

Girls excelling in math and science were invited to participate in this lunch, and the students had the chance to ask questions and listen to engineers from various companies. Every five minutes they rotated to a new table to learn about a new engineering opportunity.

“It was great to have the opportunity to meet and get to know the real engineers and see what they do. It was cool to see the things I would be interested in for the future, and they gave great tips for the classes I should take in high school and college,” freshman Layke Graybill said.

A variety of engineering classes and clubs are offered to students who want to get involved. Project Lead the Way is the program that introduces students to engineering, and the classes get more specific as students progress. Eagle Engineering Club, Girls in Engineering Club, and Aviation Club are also available to students.

“There are a ton of opportunities for children to get exposure to the field of engineering through summer camps, job shadowing, internships, and the like. The more opportunities that students have to meet engineers and learn about their jobs, the better. It’s always fun when you see students realize that engineers are people, and that they really enjoy their jobs,” Kisker said.