Alejandra Ortiz is an electrical engineer at Textron Systems, which is part of a company that serves customers in aerospace and defense, fuel systems, and specialized vehicles. Alejandra’s parents immigrated from Mexico over 40 years ago.
“Pursuing a STEM degree, striving to make my parents proud, and serving as a role model to my younger siblings and extended family was not easy,” Alejandra explains, but she was determined to become the first engineer in her family.
Throughout college, she was usually the only woman in her engineering classes. Alejandra enjoyed problem-solving. But no one in her family could guide her through college.
“Additionally, throughout those five years, I was a barista at the campus coffee shop, a sorority sister for a national chapter, a basketball player for a division III team, and an active member of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) chapter,” she said.
Alejandra admits that while balancing these roles was not ideal when attempting to double major in electrical and biomedical engineering, each position taught her valuable lessons. They include making the perfect latte for a line of sleep-deprived classmates, living with women from different backgrounds, and the importance of physical health.
During her last year, Alejandra was diagnosed with a rare heart condition. Although her academics were not perfect, her four summers of internships helped prove she possessed the skills needed to be a successful engineer.
As a professional engineer, Alejandra volunteers at science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) events with the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), and serving as a STEM mentor for Spanish-speaking middle school girls.
“I hope to encourage them to pursue a STEM career path,” Alejandra says. Click here to read Hispanic Engineer magazine.
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