My African American family came from a small community in Eastern North Carolina. We were, and still are, a very close knit group. My overall inspiration comes from my mother, a strong woman, who supported me on my way to self development and discovery. With respect to STEM-related fields, I was inspired by my high school chemistry teacher, who did an excellent job of engaging her students. Additionally, my aunt, my Mom’s sister, taught Biology at my high school. Both my Chemistry teacher and my aunt pushed me to join extracurricular science activities because they saw that I had a natural affinity for science and math. Eventually, I was introduced to Chemical Engineering by a representative from the local DuPont Chemical plant who spoke to our HS physics class about his work as a Chemical Engineer during a Career Fair event.
Yes, there were challenges. As the oldest child of divorced parents, my high school years included responsibilities for taking care of my younger siblings. Despite the challenges, I was determined to pursue my dreams and obtain a college degree. Both my parents have college degrees and I understood from an early age the value of higher education. My first position after graduation was as a Research Scientist with Kimberly Clark Corporation in Roswell, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. Through a mutual friend at Kimberly Clark, I met, and later married, my husband of 20 years. At the time, he was working as an Electrical Engineer for the Navy in Newport, RI, and our primary focus was to relocate him or both of us so that we would be in the same location. We were both fortunate to interview and be offered Engineering positions at Corning Incorporated in Wilmington, NC.
While our 2 daughters were born in NC, they now consider TN and Chattanooga home. We moved to TN in 2003 when my husband took a position with Shaw Industries and I began the M.S. Engineering Management program at UTC. I was assigned a wonderful advisor who I regularly keep in contact with almost 11 years later. Through her contacts with Erlanger Health System, I was able to network with a hiring manager who needed a Sr. Process Engineer. Almost 10 years later, I continue to thrive in this non-traditional engineering role.
The most fulfilling part of my job is coaching teams through the Process Improvement process. Whether it’s a project to decrease patient wait times, a project to improve OR efficiencies, or a simple process map to identify non-value added steps, helping others to be successful in their functional areas is quite gratifying.
I’m excited that engineering management principles are being applied to healthcare in many hospitals, adding to the quality and efficiency of patient care. I anticipate that this trend will continue. There will be new career opportunities for individuals with process improvement expertise who traditionally have worked in manufacturing environments.
Today, there are many applications for STEM and young people should be introduced to the opportunities in various fields early in their education. I hope that young people have mentors in their teens, as I did, who can coach them if they have an interest in a STEM field. However, I do encourage students to pursue their passion, not just a potential job prospect. Both my daughters are interested in STEM fields and I have encouraged that interest. My oldest is a sophomore Biomedical Engineering student, and my youngest, a high school senior, was recently accepted into college and into their Computer Science program.
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Sonya Reid is Business Process Improvement Manager at Erlanger Health System
- The Vision of an International Woman in STEM Education – by Dr. Neslihan Alp - March 15, 2015
- At Least She Was Never Bored – by Dr. Ruth Williams - March 15, 2015
- The Power of We – by Jemila Morson - March 15, 2015