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Victoria Chavez-Herrera 

Major: Mechanical Engineering ’17 Position: Continuous Improvement Engineer at Western Filament Inc.

Israel Miles

Victoria Chavez-Herrera, Mechanical Engineering ‘17, is a Continuous Improvement Engineer at Western Filament Inc. Herrera began work immediately after graduating, continuing to learn while taking on multiple roles. “I switched jobs two years after graduating,” said Herrera. “I was working as an engineering technician in the ceramics industry. After a company lay off, I ventured into textiles and continuous improvement. I like being a continuous learner so that I can stay versatile and potentially jump into any role.” 

Despite having earned her degree, Herrera still faces some discrimination in the work force. “I honestly struggle with hiring managers and fellow engineers taking me seriously,” said Herrera. “As a female, I walk into a machine shop and am immediately type-casted as being incapable of running any machine. I am a trained machinist. Only when I am given the opportunity am I able to prove otherwise but I need to get past that hurdle of getting the opportunity.”

Herrera always knew she wanted to be an engineer, even though she didn’t know what her role would exactly look like. “I wanted to be an engineer,” said Herrera. “I was unsure entirely what that meant but I was wanting to design, build things, program things, and solve problems. What was important was that engineering label. I struggled with finding fulfillment in Engineering Technician roles that I have had in the past. My mindset has changed in that my title doesn’t define my fulfillment. As long as I am utilizing the knowledge that I learned then I am happy.”

Upon entering the workforce, Herrera learned to apply directly the skills she obtained at CU to her professional career. “I have the set of knowledge I need to tackle every day and be successful,” Herrera said. “The best skill I learned in school was to be adaptable, to be open-minded, and to be a good learner. That is the utmost skill.”

Herrera advises students to speak up for themselves and to realize that time is on their side. “It will take time to find your niche, or that job that really fulfills you,” said Herrera. “What is important is that you have the skills and the knowledge to fully explore all your options. Go into the world with an open mind, have confidence in your abilities and know that it is OK to admit when a career choice isn’t a good fit.”

Katie McQuie

Majors: Environmental & Chemical Engineering ’18 Position: Business Tech Analyst at Deloitte Consulting

Gabe Rodriguez

Katie McQuie, Environmental and Chemical Engineering ’18, works as a Business Technology Analyst at Deloitte Consulting. Every Monday to Thursday, McQuie travels to Sacramento, Calif. to help company clients utilize cloud technology; and every Friday she is back working in Colorado. After graduating in December 2018, McQuie decided to participate in a study abroad program in Berlin, Germany. “It was a great opportunity to learn about a different culture and pick up some German along the way!” McQuie explained. She also got the chance to visit Spain and other European countries before starting her career with Deloitte.

As an engineering major, McQuie said other engineering majors shouldn’t be afraid to pursue a non-traditional engineering position. “It’s easy to only focus on applying to positions with ‘engineer’ in the title,’” McQuie said. “There are so many career paths you can pursue, and there are lots of jobs that value a technical background [that are not] strictly engineering. Earning an engineering degree taught me to problem solve and have a strong work ethic. The ability to quickly learn a new concept or to think outside the box is invaluable!” McQuie also said she was initially nervous about her new position since she had less experience than her teammates, but she soon realized she had many valuable skills to offer and felt confident at work.

Erika Polhamus

Major: Aerospace Engineering ’19 Position: Systems Engineer at Lockheed Martin Space

Gabe Rodriguez

Erika Polhamus, Aerospace Engineering ’19, works in Systems Engineering ASC at Lockheed Martin Space after having interned there for the previous two summers. Polhamus is a member of a smaller team, where she works on radio frequency programs and helps to design new antennas for satellites in space. 

Though Polhamus feels she would have been more prepared for this position with an Electrical Engineering degree, she said any engineering degree would have helped her because of the focus on learning and problem-solving. “I was taught how to learn, what questions to ask, how to understand if a piece of info isn’t important … and I attest that to my degree,” Polhamus said. 

Polhamus has long been passionate about the aerospace industry and human space flight, and she was excited at the opportunity to work for a leading aerospace company. In the future, she said she would love to get the opportunity to work and train astronauts or design EVA suits. “For now though, I find my job challenging intellectually and enjoy its rigor!” she said. “I found a job that I find interesting, with a team of people I really like—that is super important—at a company with a great work life balance.” 

For future engineering graduates, Polhamus said, “Don’t expect your first job to be the ultimate dream job. I still don’t know what my dream job is, but don’t be afraid to dip your toe in the water first.”