While 1997–98 Selected Professions Fellow Angela Lindner had never experienced sexism during her undergraduate studies in chemistry at the College of Charleston, during one of her first days in a chemical engineering class as a master’s candidate she saw an ugly side that many women in STEM have faced. She was one of two women in the class, and when the professor entered the room, he positioned himself in front of her desk and, addressing the two women, said, “I do not understand why you two are here. Why would you subject yourself to this rigor when you could marry an engineer and stay home and wear print dresses?”
Angela Lindner
Later on, the AAUW grant helped ameliorate Angela’s situation when her faculty adviser saw little reason to pursue funding for Angela because she was married. “This fellowship was a blessing because my adviser was not aggressively searching for support for me,” said Angela.
Since that time, Angela has done her part to ensure that other women are supported in their pursuit of STEM degrees. In addition to guiding a year-long freshman program for underrepresented students and advising the University of Florida Engineers without Borders student chapter, Angela also mentors undergraduates through the University Scholars program. Through this program, high-performing undergraduates are paired up with mentors to conduct laboratory-based research. According to Angela, this invaluable experience allows students to enhance their writing skills, assess whether graduate school is a good career path, think critically, and make great discoveries. One such dedicated university scholar was 2002–03 Selected Professions Fellow Jessica Strate Beach, who worked with Angela in the field of bioremediation. Angela encouraged Jessica to pursue a Selected Professions Fellowship with AAUW because “she was one of the hardest-working students I have mentored, and she was completely deserving of this fellowship.”
Jessica Strate Beach
Since receiving the fellowship, Jessica has obtained her engineering license for the state of Florida and is currently working as an engineer with the Division of Environmental Resource Compliance with the St. Johns River Water Management District. In this position Jessica reviews construction plans and conducts field inspections of projects during and after construction to ensure permit compliance.
When asked about her experience as a woman working in engineering, Jessica said she finds the field of environmental engineering to be balanced and diversified. This is a large step forward from the small step Angela saw at the conclusion of her master’s program, when that same male chemistry engineering professor called her into his office and said he had learned something from her. “He said he learned that women should be allowed to get engineering degrees; in the event that our husbands died or left us, we would be able to support ourselves.” Angela goes on to say, “Individually, by our integrity, persistence, and damn good engineering, we yield small strides for our fellow females and for our profession as a whole. Collectively, we yield leaps and bounds.”
