About Me
When I was a little girl, I used to take my dad’s contractor’s ruler everywhere I went, holding it in the air proclaiming “Shera! Princess of Power!!”. If you know you know!
Fast forward a few decades and I have accumulated a degree in Mechanical Engineering and over 15 years working in various industries including Hydro, and Oil & Gas here in Calgary, Alberta. Still with a very strong belief that I can do anything I set my mind to, and that all opportunities are available to me.
Growing up, I was lucky enough to live in a household where the belief that I could do anything was instilled in me from a young age. I used to help my dad with projects around the house. He would often ask me what my ideas were on how to approach a problem or execute a project. He asked me questions about my ideas, and we often executed them, even if they were likely not going to work out. I had a very clear role in the project execution, including handing him tools, prepping the supplies, taking measurements, and even using power tools. If my dad believed I could do it, surely I could!
I was also one of only three girls growing up in my town who played soccer. We played with the boys, but they split us up, one girl on each team. I had told my dad I wanted to play soccer, and he said “ok, lets get you signed up.” I had no idea what strings he had to pull to get me on a team, but it never occured to me it would have been even remotely an issue. I just got to show up and start playing.
When I started Engineering at the University of Calgary, there was overt gender discrimination. After all, gals only made up 19% of the cohort, and about 9% in Mechanical Engineering. For the most part I didn’t believe it held me back, despite always being the group member to write the lab reports, and also once, to my utmost suprise, being auctioned off for a date as part of a charity auction. There was a group at the university called WISE – Women in Science and Engineering. I remember laughing at the idea of it and thinking “Surely if you work hard, are smart, and do a good job, there is no issue being a Woman in STEM”
As soon as I entered the workforce I began to notice almost immediately both the small and large barriers to my success. I have spent the better part of two decades learning how to navigate around them, advocate and promote for my skillsets and accomplishments, and communicate challenges and solutions that occur that impact productivity and team effectiveness. While it took a considerable amount of effort and energy to accommodate for the old outdated beliefs that our culture still holds around the place that Women have in the workforce, I was extremely successful through out my career.
The one thing that I notice the most about the challenges and barriers that women face in the workplace is that no one talks about it; not the women experiencing it, not the leadership teams that are having to deal with it, and not the companies who are responsible for changing the workplace culture around it. The conversations are often rooted in blame, shame, anger, and injustice and this is a major barrier to change.
One of my strongest skillsets as an Engineer was to find solutions to problems, and to take complex ideas and to clearly communicate them to my customers and teams. I am still doing the same thing today, with the same audiences, but with a topic I am deeply passionate about! I am helping Women make the most out of their careers, and business make more profit! Whats not to love about that?!
