My story.

By the time this work event picture was taken, I had already been asked by a colleague what my husband's favorite meal was and had been left out of countless happy hours. I had not yet had my solution to an engineering problem blatantly stolen by a man and passed off as his own nor had I been singled out in a meeting that was running a few minutes over 5PM to be asked if I needed to go get my kids.

 These seemingly small incidents or actions, called microaggressions, happen daily to women engineers and it becomes a death by a thousand cuts situation that lead many women to leave engineering or to leave the workforce all together. Only 20% of all engineering degrees go to women. And only 13% of engineers in the workforce are women.

 I am obsessively passionate about women empowerment in STEM because I know how hard it is to be the only female in the room and experience these microaggressions. But I also know how amazing it is for women to reach their true potential in their careers and continue advancing to positions of power and influence.

 My Best Friend at Work is an advisor and a coach, a friend and a supporter, a cheerleader and an unwavering advocate to show women in STEM how to be more confident, handle situations at work like a pro, and ultimately kick ass at work. 

*No men were harmed in this photo, I was not able to get their permission to post their pictures.