photographiste

"I started out looking for someplace to play basketball, I didn't really want to have a science career. I grew up in Rolla where my father was the photographer for the campus. So I decided to go there to study engineering management. I was decent in math in high school and I always enjoyed science as a kid. I liked going outside, just learning about nature. I was also an athlete and I enjoyed the competitive side of sports. I enjoy meeting people, and I always want to find out about their jobs, so I looked at different options and I chose civil engineering as an emphasis area. I had a job in Kansas City where I was a loss control engineer so I had to go out and look for things that could be harmful to people. I enjoyed talking to the people about what they did in their jobs, and trying to figure out ways to help them improve the safety of their facilities to make a more safe place. Here at S&T my main goal is to recruit more women and underrepresented minorities.

The young women and underrepresented students just want to accomplish their dreams, and they don't want to be held back by anything. When students get upset and down I just want them to come to our office and find someone they can talk to. We can coach them along the way or just help them open their eyes to possibilities. We also provide scholarships for women and for underrepresented students in science and engineering. That's a big joy to see the students being able to relax a little bit and concentrate on their studies. We always tell women students:"Look for someone that understands why you are here, it's very important to have a supporting partner that helps you succeed." We encourage men to join women's organizations. I think underrepresented students can relate to what the women are going through, although perhaps in a different way, and that allows them to be very supportive and participative with other students."

Cecilia Elmore
Director, Student Diversity, Outreach, and Women’s Programs, Missouri S&T

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