Pathways to Success presents “Change the Frequency”. An article about finding your way in the STEM field.
In 2018 Katie Proppe began an internship for BAE systems. She had previously been studying counseling at Davis College, but had found that to be a dead end in her career line. Whilst looking for something different to do, she had begun to take online courses for computers and fell into an internship for IT. From there she went to NYC for Job Corp, however when that was over she found herself back in Broome County in search of a job. She applied to a job at Raymond but was informed that her degree was not technical enough so she did the only thing she could, enrolled in the Electrical Engineering Tech program at SUNY Broome.
Being the only female in her classes was strange and complicated for Katie. She found it difficult to make friends as her class mates seemed to want nothing to do with the strange girl in their all boys field. This however did not stop Katie; she was able to make friends with her lab partners. This made doing homework and getting help more assessable for her. Comradery was a necessity in her studies as the program started with twenty students, and only seven of them made it to graduation.
During her classes BAE visited and offered up an internship that Katie applied for immediately. And it was there that she was able to meet her mentor Peter Robinson. Peter had been in the Electrical Engineering field for many years and as a former Student of SUNY Broome, the two bonded fairly quickly. It was through him that she was able to make friends in the field and strong connections that secured her the full time job when the internship was over. Along the way Deb Brown, an Engineering Technician, took Katie under her wing, helping her to gain more independence by instructing at a distance but always providing a helping hand. Another Engineer, Hissan, helped her out as well in teaching her some of the more complicated pieces of Engineering.
Being one of the few female engineer employees of BAE and the only female in the EET program through SUNY Broome was rather alienating for Katie at the start. However, after a while she has found that people have been quick to assist her in her projects and are also kinder to her given her gender then if it was a man in the field. The internship through BAE provided her with a wealth of hands on experiences as well as the personal connections needed to secure a full time position in her chosen field.
Katie’s hard work, good grades and perseverance has paid off. She is currently working as an Electrical Engineer at BAE and has graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering Technology from SUNY Broome. While the field has come a long way since Katie was in Middle School attending a Lockheed Martin seminar on “Girls in Engineering” the field is still rather male orientated. Sign up for your chance to prove that you have what it takes to change the frequency; just like Katie
