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February 10, 2003
A: FROM MENTOR CATHY UPSHIRE
IN IL
I am not an aerospace engineering but I am in a field that
is
predominately male(Computer Networking). If I can give you
a
piece of advice, my best piece of advice would be to go for
it. Although the field you would like to pursue is
predominately male, you can still thrive in it as a women.
There probably won't be a lot of women engineers in the
office but there will be women in other capacities. So what
they're not engineerings...
You Go Girrrl!!
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February 8, 2003
A: FROM MENTOR BRENDA WOLFE
You wrote that you wanted to know about the Air Force Academy.
There is a web-site at www.academyadmissions.com
that should help you out. Go to the link entitled 'Start Preparing
Early'. It is a long process - first there is an application
( to verify ACT and SAT scores, etc.) - but at the same time,
you have to be nominated by a US Congressman - either House
or Senate. Therefore, I would suggest interviewing with whichever
Congressman has an office closest to you and interview with
more than Congressman.
It is definitely male -dominated - but the ratio is improving!!
If the pilot option doesn't work out - ( You have to be certain
size and have really good eyes) there are other places that
offer aerospace engineering, including CU - Boulder and Univ.
of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
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A: FROM MENTEE MEGAN V. IN VT
My advice is to follow your heart. Yeah so what if there is
a lot of guys
in that kind of field…are you going to let them stop
you from doing
something you want to really do?!?! I will tell you something,
I am a 17
year old that loves technology. I want to go into the field
Computer
Animation and Graphic Design. Those two have a lot of guys
involved in that
kind of career, but I am not going to let that stop me or
think different. I
am not going to let myself feel like oh they are better then
me and I will
never be able to be as good as them. I just tell myself if
I really want
this I will work my hardest and how it turns out it turns
out and I know I
did my best. I am also a shy type of person and I use to keep
to myself a
lot. But sense I have gotten into a group for girls with technology;
I am
not as shy as I was and I was able to talk in front of 300
people, and I am
more out going now. I do not being in a class full of guys
and its just like
me or two other girls. If you really want to get into aerospace
engineering
do it!! Do not hold yourself back, because if you do you will
probably stop
and think what would have been if I did go and do what I really
wanted to
do. You can give it a try and if it’s too hard for you
then stop and find
something new. Trying things for the first time to see if
you really like it
or not is normal. You can keep going or not, it is all up
to you. Be you and
only change for you and not because someone else wants you
to. I hope I was
of some help!
Good luck and take care.
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February 7, 2003
A: FROM MENTOR BARB KONTOGIANNIS
IN CO
Aerospace engineering, as with other types of engineering,
is still
primarily a male field, however there is no reason women can't
excel in the
field and have wonderful careers. I am not a pilot, but there
are women
pilots, and there should be no limits to your desire to be
a pilot just
because you are a woman. There are female fighter pilots in
the Air Force
and Navy, and there are female commercial airline pilots,
and many more who
pilot small planes as a hobby.
I am an Aerospace Engineer, in the area of space launch rather
than
aviation/aircraft. There are other women engineers on the
program where I
work, but some days I'll be the only woman in a meeting with
30 men. I
don't really notice it unless I specifically think about it.
Whether a
woman or a man, you bring the same technical skills to a project
that you
have leared to earn your degree. Your interpersonal communication
skills
and styles may vary, but that brings different perspectives
to a project,
and can be an adavantage to the team problem solving process.
I would
highly encourage you to follow your dreams to be a pilot and
an engineer.
The Air Force Academy could be a great school to match your
interests.
If you have more specific questions in mind, ask away!
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