Volume 5, Issue 1
What's New With Wistem!
All of us here at WiSTEM are so excited to have everyone back on campus for the Fall 2022 semester! We continue to strive to establish a supportive community between the women and gender minorities on campus. We’re strongest together, where we can recognize everyone’s potential. There are a lot of fun events planned for the upcoming months, each one carefully thought out with our members' interests in mind. As always, the WiSTEM executive board tried to come up with events to help you be your best self. From social events to career-building opportunities, there’s something planned for everyone!
Last semester we ended the year with our event with Virtu Financial, Quant Trading 101. Virtu Financial is a financial firm that provides financial advice, trading guidance, and modern management solutions. Three of their financial advisors from various offices across the country joined us for a short presentation and to answer our questions about technology’s role in money management.
Techniques such as quantitative trading are essential to maintaining financial literacy in today’s economy. Virtu Financial is one of our sponsors, and we are excited to have worked with them on another event this semester.
Our first event this semester was our Waffles and Words of WiSTEM event, which was held on September 1st. We kicked off the school year on a sweet note by giving advice on how to be successful as a student. Between balancing classes, career opportunities, and a social life, stress can build quickly for students. It’s important to lean on others when it feels like too much.
Our reps from almost every department were available to answer any questions attendees had and to give guidance they’ve picked up over their time at IIT. Many of you left your own words of wisdom on our sticky note wall as well! Of course, one of the favorite parts of the event was the build-your-own waffle bar where you customized your waffle with a variety of toppings.
There was an awesome turn-out for this event, and we’re glad we could provide everyone with time to relax and enjoy a waffle with friends.
Our second-semester event was with Virtu Financial: A Day in the Life of a Quant Trader. We had Kimberly Ding and Maxwell Fritz come in and speak about the basics of quant trading, a field that uses mathematical analysis to predict stock patterns. The room was packed with people eager to learn about this interesting field. Ding gave a description of her daily tasks and allowed the audience to try their hand at analyzing stock patterns. She also shared information about their upcoming winter internship program. This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in financial trading or a unique way to apply their computer science skills. Raising Cane’s chicken fingers were provided for lunch, which was a definite crowd pleaser. WiSTEM looks forward to all events with Virtu in the future!
We have a variety of other events planned for the semester, including an event with Chase Bank and an opportunity to speak with industry professionals from top companies like Ford, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and Aptiv. We will be announcing these occasions as the semester progresses, so make sure you’ve signed up for our mailing list to stay up-to-date. We look forward to seeing everyone in person again and hope to have a great semester with you all!
Gasoline or diesel? Which is better for you?
In the field of mechanical engineering, there are a variety of systems and mechanical devices that are constantly being evaluated and improved upon to make our lives easier. One mechanism that plays a major role in today’s society is the engine. Engines are machines that create motion by converting energy from a fuel to some mechanical energy. Energy, such as the ones used to run vehicles, can run on a variety of different fuels, most notably gasoline and diesel in the case of cars.
The first thing to note is how engines work. Both gasoline and diesel engines use internal combustion. This causes the air to enter into the engine and combine with the fuel. The engine’s cylinders then compress the resulting mixture, which ignites the trigger motion of the piston and crankshaft. The wheels of the car turn by the activation of the vehicle’s transmission, and then the piston moves back to its original position to expel the spent gas from the engine through the tailpipe as exhaust. The construction of engines is dependent on the combustion requirement of the respective fuels.
The difference between the gas and diesel engines is the ignition process. During the compression phase for a gasoline engine, a spark plug ignites the fuel. For diesel engines, there is no spark plug, but instead a compression ignition is used to create extreme compression to generate the heat required for ignition. Since the diesel engine is subjected to greater stress, it is essential for their engines to have thicker walls and a better quality of componentry. The engines that contain these fuels are manufactured differently, and the emissions that come out of the vehicle are somewhat different.
Both gasoline and diesel are extracted from the same raw material, known as crude oil. Even though they come from the same source, they have very different characteristics. Both of these fuels are volatile and produce energy when released upon its combustion, but diesel engines tend to have a higher density and are more energy intensive than gasoline engines. When comparing the emissions of the two fuels, gasoline emits more greenhouse gasses such as hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. This is because gas cars contain a catalytic converter that reduces the amount of harmful components present in the exhaust. On the contrary, diesel engines produce more nitrogen oxide and fine particulate matter in the form of soot, which are the black heavy deposits. In general, both the gasoline and diesel engines both emit close to the same amount of unhealthy combustion products into the atmosphere.
These two fuels may seem like they are very similar, but in fact they serve different purposes. When driving a gas-powered vehicle, the lighter architecture of gas and shorter bore-and-stroke combination creates a greater power output and capability to reach higher revolutions per minute. Diesel engines are more bulky, consisting of longer piston strokes causing the wheels to not reach high RPMs without incurring a lot of mechanical strain. Because there is greater torque generated in the diesel engine, the vehicle is more fuel efficient, which means that it delivers better mileage per gallon than gasoline engines. So if one was looking to drive a car that was more conducive to domestic and performance oriented applications, a gasoline engine is the way to go. Alternatively, if one was looking for a heavier vehicle that was traveling further distances, a diesel engine would be a better choice.
Knowing the difference between gasoline and diesel powered engines is important to know when figuring out the best engine for your needs.
Crimes of The Student Activity Fund
Presenting to the court: WiSTEM vs SAF
Paid into by all students, yet used by a select few; the Student Activity Fund is designed to “assist programs directly related to campus activities in conjunction with student organizations”. However, left to a student-operated finance board to allocate, an endless stream of issues naturally arise for what qualification does a student have when dealing
with up to a million dollars.
A student quickly labeled a villain for making the tough calls our institution leaders escaped and a university at fault for not monitoring spending diligently, this piece hopes to bring light to exactly what went wrong and why there is hope for the future.
Approximately $125 is involuntarily paid by all full-time students and “is handled directly by students via the Finance Board, with accountability to the Student Government Association.”
Theoretically, the Finance Board is a group of elected officials by the student body, but seeing that morale is not the best at Illinois Tech and the role calls on a large consistent time commitment, many of the seats tend to run unopposed. As well, there previously was no formal university oversight regarding the spending of the SAF, much less overspending.
Up until the COVID semesters in 2019, the SAF was being overspent by $300,000 every single year. A third of a million dollars. According to a report shared by the Finance Board: In 2019, the SAF was overspent by a whopping $296,938.00 and in 2020 (Spring 2019 and Fall 2020) the SAF was overspent by $193,452.00.
Failed diligence of university administrators and “SGA accountability” (whatever that means) allowed the Finance Board to approve requests unmonitored and with absolutely no estimate of the SAF fund. According to current Vice President of Finance, Chloe Rubinowicz, the Finance Board was encouraged to approve requests and would be contacted when a limit was approached. The absurdity of the vague operational details provided to Finance Board members allowed $700,000 to go unmonitored and overspent. Further, as a student, it begs the question: What other fees are students paying that go unwatched?
The $700,000 budget is designed to “ support student organizations' operational, programming, and conference budgets as well as large-scale campus events.” For what could student organizations be doing for the campus that can cost up near a million dollars some semester when overspent?
There is no clear culprit, but there definitely is a suspect list.
Offender #1: Conferences
The first major offender is conferences. Illinois Tech is one of the only universities that helps pay for conferences - well it is technically the student body. This notion has been defended in the past in that conferences bring attention to the university and help students make connections. But at what price might you ask? At least $15,000 to send an average of 10 students with the students co-paying at approximately $100 each according to the Spring 2022 ledger.
Frankly, the math ain’t mathing. 120 students need to pay into the SAF to make up $15,000 - yet only 10 students will benefit. How is that fair by any means? How is that meeting the definition of the Activity Fund designed to support all students? And the reality is, not everyone has access to apply to conferences or attend as they tend to be intentionally poorly advertised. As well, the co-pay in itself already limits the conference to a particular group of students. Even worse, though it is hearsay, students will often use these conferences as paid vacations and don’t end up attending at times. However, hearsay generally is not admissible as evidence at trial.
The consequences of conferences was evident in the Spring 2022 ledger where a student organization went as far as to request $96,000 for a conference. The conference would have spent 1⁄4 of the SAF that semester - that is 1⁄4 of the student body paying for a few students. While the request may have been denied, it is ridiculous to think that a group of students took the time to research, write up, and request such an absurd amount of money. Their actions speak to how disposable the organization leaders feel the SAF is and how unregulated and abundant it must be.
Even more, student organizations are not just requesting one conference a year, some are putting in requests for multiple semesters. These conference requests at times have nothing to do with the student organizations - in fact, in the spring 22 ledger, a particular student organization was denied a $25,000 conference request in Dubia because it had nothing to do with their organization's mission. This organization did not make one, but two separate conference requests each more than $25,000.
Conferences drain the budget, are used inappropriately, and are not equally accessible to all students. Conferences are not fair and blur the lines on the moral spending for the SAF. This is not to dismiss the fact that for some students, conferences present internship and job offers. It is to instead suggest that conferences be funded by means other than student funding.
I asked the Vice President of the Finance Board how this was being addressed and you should be pleased to hear that new policies are in place under R15 and R16 capping requests at $4,000 per organization and fairly limiting conferences to those where students are presenting or competing. As well, there is room for flexibility depending on a case-by-case basis.
"Their actions speak to how disposable organization leaders feel the SAF is and how unregulated and abundant it must be."
Offender #2: Union Board
The next big spender of the SAF is the Union Board. A student organization founded in 2018 that promises to hold campus wide events with 20% of the SAF allocated to support them automatically every semester.
It is notable to indicate that the Union Board struggles to get executive members to run the organization. The organization makes big promises and requires large time commitments; they are responsible for organizing large scale events like MTCC Late Night.
Up until the Finance Board VP intervened, in Spring of 2022, they did not have a treasurer. Yet were somehow automatically promised 20% of the SAF. Their treasurer was previous SGA president Ben Barber as no one was interested in the role that manages 20% of the SAF.
It is too much to expect college students to take on a full course load and to manage up to $100k for on campus activities. It would make more sense for the school to invest with an event planning firm to host large scale university events than to expect the free labor of students.
Allocating such a large sum of money to a small group of students with no accountability is a recipe for disaster and burn out. Organizations like Union Board have large turn over rates and struggle to recruit for the team because frankly the workload and responsibility is not worth it to our student population.
Rubinowicz has been working tirelessly to regain control and support Union Board. As of this semester, there has been no new policies modifying their access to one fifth of the SAF. However, they have not made any requests either. Oddly enough, they appear to be securing funding from the Office of Campus Life instead, a notion I support.
"Allocating such a large sum of money to a small group of students with no accountability is a recipe for disaster and burn out.
Offender #3: “Humanitarian” Reasons
Other unjustified big spenders of the SAF are humanitarian organizations requesting $18,000 to go and help build homes in low income communities. Would it not make more sense to just send over the money at this point than send over unqualified students? While these requests were denied in the ledger, in the past these organizations were successfully funded by the SAF to go and partake in performative savior trips. The SAF is not designed to be donated, students paying into the fund are being told it is for their direct benefit on campus.
It makes no sense to allocate any of the SAF for donations because the fund was not intended to do so justifyingly. Who would decide what causes deserve donations over others? Who would determine how much each crisis cost? At what point, as students, do we have the right to rank and quantify humanitarian crises across the world?
I bring this up, because it is a relevant issue SGA recently faced. It was brought up by the Senate to donate directly out of the SAF to a Ukraine relief fund. The problem was not supporting Ukraine, the issue is that the SAF is not designed to support humanitarian crises, much less prioritize which deserved funding and which did not.
It put into question the authority and intentions of those part of the past SGA who supported the notion. Was it to really support Ukraine? Was it to prioritize a humanitarian issue just because of increased media attention? Is this not performative activism? How about other current humanitarian crises like the Yemen Famine or the Uyghur Genocide? Why were those not being discussed by SGA if they were so invested in humanitarian issues? Regardless, the notion was blocked. But it pointed to many flaws within SGA and the Finance Board.
Believe it or not, this is not a new issue. When COVID first hit, student organizations were requesting SAF funding to purchase items that would be donated to hospitals. These students would disguise the allocated money as “funded” by their organization to boost their resumes. Disguising the allocation of SAF as “funding” is not only immoral but a cheap cop-out taken by our own students.
To the left an open letter sent to WiSTEM requesting to aid in the blocking a request of $15,000 to be directly donated to Ukraine relief organization.
"It makes no sense to allocate any of the SAF for donations because the fund was not intended to do so justifyingly...the SAF is not designed to support humanitarian crises, much less prioritize which deserved funding and which did not.
Another anomaly is the past funding of the Greek Council by the SAF. While they were denied this past ledger and asked to turn to OCL, in the past SAF had approved and funded them despite them being a selective campus organization that intentionally excluded groups of students. It clearly violates the fundamental purpose of the SAF.
Vice President of Finance Chloe has worked to ensure that the new board policies instead only fund greek life events designed for all of the students like the Taste of Quad. A great step toward using the SAF for intended purposes.
Our Verdict
The only reason the debt is paid off is because the pandemic hit, and student organizations were requesting a record low which left enough money to pay off past debts. In fact, student organizations were discouraged from requesting money and denied requests constantly during virtual semesters. In the cycle of Fall 2020/Spring 2021, the SAF was funding $944,177.00 and more than half remained ($530,882.00) and was used to pay off past debts. Using the remaining money from the SAF to pay off debt is not fair. Why is it the responsibility of current students from 2020 to pay off the mistakes of the Finance Board from before them or whoever was supposed to regulate SAF spending? What would
have happened if the pandemic did not take place? Who was covering the extra costs for the overspending? Was tuition covering the extra costs? The cruel reality of the circumstances is there is nothing to do but acquit the crimes of the past.
Closing Thoughts
The truth is the SAF was funding initiatives at ridiculous prices. Questions about overspending are nonexistent when everything keeps being approved. The Finance Board is not to blame when SGA is approving student organizations left and right. Last semester alone, 106 different student organizations put in requests and that number is only going to
continue to grow especially as student organizations become more and more confident in their requests.
So who has been leading all these changes in the Finance board policy? The answer is Vice President of Finance, Chloe Rubinowicz.
Chloe was doing the right thing, the hard thing, the thing nobody else wanted to do: calling out the unfair and irresponsible allocation of the student-supported budget, and instead of being applauded for her courage and perseverance, she faced backlash led by abusers of the SAF. She spearheaded a motion for transparency between the student body, organization leaders, and the Finance Board.
As I researched this piece, I quickly realized how much I resonate with Chloe. More often than not, leaders of change are faced with harsh accusations by those uncomfortable with change and those profiting off the exploitation of others. Especially women, tend to be victims of merciless criticism. Rubinowicz became the first to blame and the last to celebrate in any issues related to the SAF.
With Chloe leading the Finance Board, new OCL leaders like Rachel Hirsh, and the COVID-19 pandemic which forced us into quarantine - as a student body we escaped the debt we were in. The debt to who, no one is still sure.
I make such a big deal about researching and writing this piece despite us being on a great track for redemption because I hope we learn from mistakes of the past, understand how far we have come, and celebrate revolutionary student leaders like Chloe Rubinowicz and outstanding OCL employees like Rachel Hirsh.
I once was told by a big shot at a prestigious Chicago university that “Illinois Tech used to be good but now it is like any other liberal arts college” but I disagree. While I know there is so much room for improvement on campus, I think that current and incoming students are redefining the university on their own. Making a lasting impact, and setting a legacy that will model future behaviors. More often than not, leaders of change are faced with harsh accusations by those uncomfortable with change and those profiting off the exploitation of others. Especially women, tend to be victims of merciless criticism. Rubinowicz became the first to blame and the last to celebrate in any issues related to the SAF.
Our Stories
Projects are generally dreaded by most students, and for good reason.The final project for one of my classes was introduced and the professor put us into teams of five. Mine consisted of myself, my friend, and two other students who sat nearby me. As with most school projects, there are bound to be issues encountered along the way, but this particular
experience left me feeling more frustrated than I have ever felt before. All throughout the process of creating the project, all of my group members were very helpful and it was a great experience, until the day of our final presentation. While preparing, we divided our slides evenly amongst each other so each person would take their turn presenting what they worked on. When it was finally our turn to present on Zoom, I could feel my nerves heightening as I waited my turn. Finally, as my peer was finishing up his turn, I was getting ready to turn on my mic, but without any pause, he kept talking and completely took over the part of the project that I was supposed to discuss. In that moment, I remember feeling so betrayed, wondering why my peer would completely skip over me like that. Was it because I was a female, and he felt that I would not be able to present as well as him? Was it
because he wanted to take credit for the part of the project that I worked so hard on? I was so upset. After our presentation finished and the Zoom call ended, I was at a loss for words. I did not know what to do. None of my group members acknowledged what had happened in our group chat and no one spoke up for me. I wanted to speak up for myself, but I did not know how to confront my peer without falling into the archetypes women can be characterized in such as controlling and hysterical. Why is this a worry that so many women like myself have? Why do we hesitate to speak up for ourselves when we feel our thoughts have been silenced? Reflecting back on this situation, I cannot help but compare my own experience to those of other women. It is sad to think that in this day and age, women are still being spoken for by men. Not only that, but there are still far too many situations where men are taking credit for a woman’s work. I hope my story will bring to light just how important it is that we start caring about women’s experiences and start holding men accountable for their actions.
Secure Yourself
Information Technology or IT and Cybersecurity is an ever-evolving field. Due to constantly being up against hackers who change their methods, IT personnel are forced to do the same. One of the most significant areas that hackers target is user credentials, specifically passwords. Many companies require their users to create a password that meets many complex requirements, including an uppercase and lowercase, at least eight characters in length, and containing a number and special character. Due to these requirements, many users tend to use the same password for all their accounts, so they only have to remember one. However, this can be very dangerous as if an attacker cracks one password, they can access all of that user’s accounts. On the other hand, some users may take a different approach. These users will create a different password for every account; however, they must remember all the credentials. Because of this, many users will write their passwords on sticky notes or on their phones to remember. But this can also make it easy for hackers to breach if they obtain physical access to a user’s device or office space. Many companies consider password authentication to be insecure, and therefore many IT experts believe that it’s time to move beyond using passwords. Not only do IT experts believe passwordless authentication strengthens security, but it will also enhance the user experience and simplify IT operations. Passwordless authentication is exactly what the name sounds like, logging into an application or system without entering a password or answering questions. Instead of the typical login process, the user will present another form of authentication, such as a fingerprint, hardware token, badge, pin, or another method. This new type of authentication is often paired with Single Sign-On. This allows the user to use the same authentication method, such as the fingerprint, token, or pin, to access all services. This will prevent the hassle of remembering ten passwords or theft of the credentials. Additionally, Multi-Factor Authentication is often included in the passwordless authentication process. Companies will use the token, fingerprint, pin, or another form of authentication as the first means of authentication. The user will be prompted on their phone to verify, take a sensor, or enter a secondary code to prove they’re the one attempting to log in. Passwordless authentication is being implemented in many big-name companies, such as Bank of America, Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft. The major companies worldwide have all aligned on the need to implement passwordless authentication, and the trend will only continue. It is only a matter of when and how it will happen. Be on the lookout for passwordless authentication in your services.
Women of The World: Charlotte Cuccia
When thinking of Law Students, theater isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. For Charlotte Cuccia,
however, the journey from being a huge self-proclaimed “theater kid” to becoming a Law Student at George Washington University has been one of great rigor and success. She is not even close to being done yet, either.
Background & Education
Cuccia was raised in Georgia, taking part in all sorts of activities. Along with theater, she also took part in Girl Scouts, ballet, and piano. In addition, she has always loved reading and writing in her free time. She’s always been good at math and science, and so when the time to make decisions about college came, Georgia Institute of Technology made sense. Financially, costs were non-existent due to scholarships, and she was interested in law school, so that was another point in Georgia Tech’s favor. At Georgia Tech, Cuccia was an Economics Major with STEM certification, and also studied International Affairs with a minor in Spanish.
At George Washington University, she studies law, with a focus on intellectual property law. Though law isn’t typically fully associated with STEM, Cuccia has found it has helped her a lot during her journey. Many students come in with a strictly liberal-arts background, examples being history, political science, and pre-law. Coming in with a background in math and technology, however, has given Cuccia many opportunities that she likely would not have gotten otherwise. Intellectual property law is multifaceted, dealing with copyright, trademark, and patents. Cuccia has both taken classes and done work in those fields, and they all require a STEM background. Blockchain and informational privacy law do not necessarily require a STEM background, but Cuccia has found her background useful in understanding how law and technology intersect. Cuccia chose to go to a STEM school because she wanted to give herself plenty of options. Being required to take linear algebra and computer science classes on top of her pre-law required economics and policy classes has given her a well-rounded education. It allows her to pursue technology and media law because she has the ability to communicate with and understand professionals in both fields.
Career Opportunities
While pursuing her bachelor’s degree, Cuccia interned at a local non-profit in Georgia’s Senate. She also studied abroad, was a tour guide at Georgia Tech, and held leadership positions in her sorority (Zeta Tau Alpha). While in Law School, she has worked at an immigration clinic, volunteered at a mentorship program, and is currently an editor on Law Review. She writes and publishes articles for the intellectual property boutique law firm that she’s been working for since the beginning of the year.
In the fall, she will have the opportunity to give a presentation with her firm that is based on a paper she wrote to a group of educators about technology in the classroom. Specifically, the paper focuses on TikTok, Fortnite, and Roblox, and the potential legal challenges that come with said applications and games. She will also be publishing a paper with her firm about trademarks and branding opportunities in the metaverse (internet).
After she graduates, she hopes to work in media and technology law or intellectual property law. She finds herself more interested in transactional work – dealing with contracts between businesses or individuals – rather than litigation – enforcing or defending a law challenged by two opposing parties, and so she would like to work at a firm that supports that.
She is also interested in the possibility of teaching in the future, as she enjoys working with younger students and helping people find their paths – a continuation of what she already does working with students at Georgia Tech. Additionally, she would like to work out licensing agreements for authors and work with other people in the writing industry. She also loves writing, so she wants to continue doing that.
Additional Thoughts
Although lawyers usually do not come from a technological background - with only just above ten percent of the law students accepted at Harvard University coming from a STEM background - Cuccia believes that it is incredibly important that aspiring law students have some understanding of STEM because a lot of people writing laws do not. The internet and technology will continue growing in the future, and it is important that our laws reflect that. As technology evolves, more cases will involve technology and the internet. Cybercrime is already an issue that plagues almost every business and company out there, and individuals are hacked and put at risk as well. Lawyers and the laws they write have to take these challenges into consideration, and having a background in STEM and computers especially will help with that.
"The internet and technology will continue growing in the future, and it is important that our laws reflect that
Advice for Undergraduate Students
Cuccia emphasizes that students should take classes that sound interesting to them. It is easy to solely take the classes that are required for the major, but some of the most enjoyable classes for Cuccia have been the ones that are a little bit different or niche. She adds on that students should not try to force themselves into some predetermined mold. Many undergraduate students are under the impression that they are required to get a pre-law minor, and end up taking too many classes or classes they are not interested in.
Prioritize keeping grades up, stress levels low, and make sure to enjoy the path that you choose to take.
Refrences: Parker, Claire E. “To Keep Pace with Tech, Law School Seeks STEM Students | News.” The Harvard Crimson, 6 May 2016, https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2016/5/6/HLS-admissions-STEM-recruiting/. Accessed 1 October 2022.
Featured Women in STEM: Christina Majercak
Biography
Christina Majercak is a Fourth-Year Chemical Engineering co-terminal master's student at the Illinois Institute of Technology on the Camras Scholarship. Her involvement on campus is impressive considering her hefty course load: she is currently the president of Tau Beta Pi - Illinois Beta Chapter, a member of WiSTEM, and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Being involved in many aspects of Illinois Tech’s community has provided Christina with a strong foundation for making connections and friends in every major. Originally from Oak Forest, Illinois, she decided to venture into the city of Chicago and start a new journey at Illinois Tech back in 2019. Moving from a calm neighborhood to the busy streets of Chicago was an adjustment, but provided many new opportunities and skills.
Apart from being a great student, Christina loves traveling, exploring the outdoors, and spending as much time as she can with friends and family. More than anything, Christina is an honest, hardworking, and inspirational member of our community. I personally have had the honor of becoming friends with Christina and I am excited for her story to be shared.
Christina Majercak’s Journey to STEM
Christina grew up in a household engulfed in Slovakian tradition. Her parents being immigrants, she knew she had to put her best foot forward in every opportunity that presented itself. Her parents sacrificed many things when leaving Slovakia, so she felt the need to repay them any chance she got. Wanting to be very successful, she wasn't held back by the perception that women are not suitable to work with men in such difficult careers. Instead, her reason for choosing a career in STEM was more about the opportunities available in the field, instead of being just another statistic. Christina explained, “I wanted to be a part of a fast-growing industry. Within STEM, there are always new innovative findings that lead to exciting discoveries and challenges.”
She was aware of all the gender disparities present in the field and knew she would have to work even harder to be seen as a candidate. It was a tough decision to make and ultimately Christina has not looked back for a second on the decision she made. When choosing the specifics of her career, she was fascinated by the versatility and possible growth of chemical engineering. After deciding that chemical engineering was right for her, she was set on this path and nothing was going to stop her. With that being the case, Christina applied to be a part of the five-year accelerated master’s program here at Illinois Tech. Starting her fourth year this semester, she still has a way to go, but she is adapting and becoming a better candidate for any company looking to hire in the future.
Christina continues to persevere and prove that even with STEM being a traditionally male-dominated field, women belong. Christina is a shining star in a male-dominated profession and continues to grow off of the opportunities that come to her.
Experience Through The Obstacles
At this university, each student is held to a high standard, and each student holds themselves to an even higher standard. This permeates throughout Christina’s mindset and is evident when it comes to her experience with challenging coursework. As students, we learn new topics daily and question how all of these topics will correlate with one another in the future. Christina asked herself the exact same thing when taking her undergraduate courses. I asked Christina for her honest opinion on her undergraduate course experience, she stated, “My undergraduate courses were challenging and theoretical. Throughout my first two years, it was very challenging for me to see how this will all piece together.
It was not until my senior year when I began to see the applications in industry.” Having taken a multitude of rigorous courses, Christina has become a well-rounded student in every subject needed for her profession.
After completing her undergraduate courses and moving on to her graduate courses, there has been a shift in Christina's mentality.
"Christina continues to persevere and prove that even with STEM being a traditionally male-dominated field, women belong.
Using all the obstacles seen in her undergraduate courses, Christina feels even more confident and prepared for her next step into harder classes. When speaking with Christina about how her graduate courses have been going, she surprisingly stated, “My graduate courses are going better than undergrad. This might be because undergraduate courses equipped me with the foundational knowledge that was needed, and now I am focused directly on the application.”
She appreciates the difference between the two level courses being that graduate courses don't focus so much on the assignment aspect, but instead focus on the teaching point of it all. Many undergraduate courses have a heavy workload, with multiple assignments each week. We get through our undergraduate courses not paying much attention to the content, but instead by rushing to submit assignments right before 11:59 pm.
Christina explained that for her graduate courses as a new way to complete more projects and focus on the larger picture. Taking these graduate courses allows Christina to have freedom in choosing where her focus goes and where to specialize.
Christina continues to persevere and prove that even with STEM being a traditionally male-dominated field, women belong.
Finding A Balance
Social life is something that has always existed for Christina. Personally, knowing her and being able to hang out outside of school settings displayed the balance she has between school and her social life.
I had the pleasure of meeting Christina during our freshman year as we were both recruited to play soccer at Illinois Tech. We both underwent the pressure of being student-athlete, waking up at five in the morning for practice and then continuing the day by attending our courses. This pattern of waking up, practicing, going to classes, and then sleeping on repeat seemed like all we would experience for four years. Trying to break that cycle, our freshman class would go on outings to Chinatown or Downtown to try and escape the pressure of school and soccer. Knowing that there was an escape to all the madness, a balance had to be found to make sure that her two worlds wouldn’t collide.
Word To the Wise
Speaking so highly about everything Christina has been able to achieve, she has a few words of wisdom for everyone who reads this. “I would advise a student to focus on their communication and leadership skills while they develop technical knowledge. Sometimes it might be hard to remember these things when we are so focused on studying for classes and doing well at IIT. It is actually more important to focus on how you present yourself and your skills. While having a high GPA is very helpful in landing a position, it is the conversations that you have and the thought process that the employer looks into. I am always being tested on my understanding of my project through multiple series of questions, and one needs to be competent in answering correctly and presenting the information adequately in order to engage a team. Without strong communication skills and confidence within, there is a low chance of engaging a team of stakeholders.”
We hope you all have a great Semester!
- WiSTEM Fall 2022 Executive Board
Editor in Chief: Barien Gad