Engineering is a career that uses both math and critical thinking skills to solve real-world problems. Without engineers: cars, computers, fans and even the apple peeler wouldn’t have existed today. Engineering is open to everyone but can’t be as easily accessed for some minorities in our world. This is a problem.
Minorities who want to become engineers often struggle to find their place within the intuition they attend; also it is a struggle to get the resources or help needed to become successful. Many are left wondering what their next steps will be, and without guidance, it can be disheartening for them. Some will even leave the field because they feel like they aren’t accepted equally as intellectuals of the engineering community.
"I know our intellectual contributions are valued the same, but it's hard to make that visible, make it known within engineering and to articulate how it influences what we do," said Dr. James Holly Jr, an engineering educator. “So, when we look at the representation of Black people in engineering, the numbers have been low since forever. I had a friend, he went to nMichigan, and had a difficult experience [with being] excluded and essentially pushed out. So now he's doing something else rather than engineering. If you look at what engineering is and what it means, I think it's him. He's a typical person that should be there, but again, the field is a tough place to get into and get through, so all of us are more excluded and pushed out rather than supported and nurtured.”
Imagine feeling excluded from the community that you wanted to be a part of for years. It makes you question: Do I belong here? Can I even do this? Am I not as committed to my engineering major? Many minorities constantly struggle with these things even though they are very capable of becoming engineers. This internal struggle is known as imposter syndrome, where someone thinks they aren’t meant to be somewhere even though they’ve worked hard to get where they have gotten.
"Whenever I come home, people are like, ‘oh, you in college. What are you studying?' 'I’m studying mechanical engineering'," Dr. Holly Jr. said. "Then they be like, ‘Ah, you must be smart.’ and ‘Ah, you're gonna make a lot of money.’ So I was wrestling internally with this idea that I'm not passionate about the material, but people think I'm smart and they say I'm gonna make a lot of money, so why should I choose anything else? I basically had to wrestle with imposter syndrome because I'm just like, do I deserve to be here? Maybe I don't know as much as I need to."
“In a large class, chances are I'm the only Black person, and some of the classes have 60–80 students," said Dr. Solomon Adera, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at University of Michigan. “I'm the only Black person, and I always think in those days, I always wished I had someone who was like me, or had a professor like me"
Dr. Adera attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a predominantly white institution. “It's like wanting your own kind represented more,” Dr. Adera said. “That [representation] would have been a very good thing that would have made my experience in college better.”
Dr. Adera feels that having a community of people with similar cultural backgrounds to rely on and talk to when you experience difficulties is important. This is especially important for Black students when entering college.
"People are like, 'Oh, I never got below 50 %, or I never got an 80%.' I say that college is different,” Dr. Adera said.“The set of expectations is different, the way classes are taught is different. You're not spoon-fed. In high school, they tell you everything that you need to know and they test you on that. Here you start, they teach you the important things, but there is going to be an effort from your side. So chances are that for most freshmen students, the first time that they fail their exams is when they start college. So, adjusting to college life is probably something that you learn on the fly."
Nowadays, there are programs at colleges that specialize in bringing in more diverse students. At the University of Michigan, the Center for Diversity and Outreach(CEDO) program provides expertise, leadership and programing, which supports the College of Engineering. They host engineering OnRamp programs which bring in K-12 students, like Jadyn Taylor, to help them become engineers.
“Before the CEDO OnRamp program, I was unaware that schools like UofM look for one year of chemistry, physics and calculus,” Taylor said. “During those monthly meetings, I learned more about what colleges want to see on your transcript and what I can do now to prepare myself for the application process. It’s very useful.”
It is important for minorities to recognize their unique challenges while adjusting to college life and reach out for help when they need it. Minorities like Dr. Adera and Dr. Holly Jr. have gone through so much and grown to become who they are today. Although it wasn't a straight and clear path, they managed to get through this intense field and emerged victorious. If they can do it, so can other minorities. Every minority has the ability to become an engineer no matter what circumstance they’re in. If you're struggling, there are people you can reach out to for help. Know that you’re not alone and that you can become an engineer too.