I just graduated from Cornell University about three weeks ago, and it seems like everyone has some advice for me and my future. A friend of mine gave me a book called “What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20” by Tina Seelig. The author tells this story about a mechanical engineering professor who had several female friends from her university who were also engineers in different disciplines.
They often came over to her house for dinner. Her young son was usually around, watching and listening to their conversations. As he got older and proved to be good at math and science someone said to him, “Gee, you should study engineering.” He twisted his face and said, “Absolutely not, engineering is for girls.”
***
It has now been four and a half years since I was honored as a Young Woman of Distinction by the Women’s Council. In those four and a half years, I left the security of my home and my high school, where women ruled, and I learned why this story is funny.
Immediately after I won the Young Woman of Distinction Award in 2009, I worked for six weeks at the Susan B. Anthony House in an internship funded by The Women’s Council. I was inspired by the work of Susan B. Anthony and her tireless devotion to her causes, but I also began opening my eyes to just how far we have to go to reach gender equality.
After a gap year in Israel, I packed up again and moved to Ithaca. At Cornell, I was pre-med and became a leader in the Jewish community, in my sorority, and my residence hall. It was my joy to serve these communities that I loved so deeply, and I was well on my way to becoming a doctor.
But, I started to notice that people always used the words “strong” and “female” when they referred to my leadership. I noticed the surprised looks I got when I told people I wanted to be a surgeon. I noticed that the walls of the Cornell libraries were lined with portraits on portraits of important men.
I noticed that a lot of people don’t think engineering is for girls.
That’s where YWOD comes in. Winning the prize during my senior year of high school, speaking at the award’s ceremony last year, and standing before you today: all of these experiences are like one big THANK YOU NOTE from the world. The recognition is validation for what I have done and motivation to keep working hard, even when the jobs I’m doing feel thankless.
So this is my Thank You Note to you: Thank you for being role models, for what you do for the community, for showing the world what women can be and what we are. Engineering IS for girls, as is business, entrepreneurship, medicine, law, administration, politics, media, and more. And this room proves it.
