Leadership Spotlight
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FY 2021
Amber Zertuche
Amber started getting involved with SWE at UC Davis in 2002 while she was studying Optical Science and Engineering. She was the Outreach Chair and did activities with the local community and Girl Scouts. She attended the SWE Conference in Birmingham, Alabama - her first time in the south and was blown away by the opportunities available to her as an engineer in this special organization.
Once she graduated with her engineering degree, it took her a year to reach out to her local SWE chapter. She was so nervous to join a new SWE chapter. Her chapter at UC Davis felt so comfortable and she was close with its members. Would the SWE-GGS members accept her and her silliness? Would she have to be all professional now since this was, after all, professional SWE?
Amber was the only woman on her team working on the James Webb Space Telescope. So when she finally admitted that she needed a community of women engineers, Suzanne Kirk and Lisa Duncan, President and Treasurer at the time, greeted her with open arms. They were silly too! Amber was glad to have walked through her fear to find this extraordinary community.
In SWE-GGS Amber has been the Scholarship Chair. Her favorite part of being an officer was getting to know SWE members more and getting to read girls' scholarship applications!
Amber is also the San Francisco Regional Director of IGNITE Worldwide, whose mission is to inspire young womxn to pursue STEM. She does this by partnering with school districts and companies to run STEM programs like panels, field trips, and workshops. Since we partner with schools and can run our programs during the school day, we are able to reach the girls who aren't yet interested in STEM or think it's not for them. During the shelter in place, Amber and her team have pivoted all programs to be virtual. The program continues to give womxn working in STEM an opportunity to give young womxn hope for their future and confidence in pursuing their passions.
What inspired you to go into engineering?
My grandpa inspired me to go into engineering. He knew I liked math and computers. I didn't know what engineering was but when I was choosing my major he happened to mention that I would be a great engineer. That was enough for me! I applied for Computer Science and Engineering that day. Later, an optics professor inspired me to change majors to Optical Science and Engineering. One of his introductory lectures was full of awe for the beauty and incredibleness of the nature of light. I wanted to unlock its secrets too, so I applied to change my major. The application didn't get accepted right away, but I knew it was my path so I applied a second and third time and was finally accepted.
What was the most challenging part about engineering and did you ever face uncertainty about if engineering was right for you?
One of the most challenging parts of engineering for me was that there is not one right answer. As an optical engineer, I was constantly optimizing systems and there seemed to be infinite possible solutions. It wasn't like my beloved math - there was one right answer (most of the time) and when I got it I could celebrate! When my team and I found a solution to a problem in engineering, there was always that moment, or weeks or months, afterward where I doubted if the solution really was "the best". However, looking back, I now realize that this was a great life lesson for me even at a young age. In life, the possibilities are endless and it's ok to make mistakes - it actually helps us grow - as long as we learn from them.
In college, I definitely had obstacles like hard homework I thought I'd never complete, failing tests, and just not getting it. But I always pushed myself to find help and resources so was able to keep pursuing with the guidance of my colleagues and professors. As a professional engineer, I knew I was where I belonged. SWE helped me with this since I didn't see people like me on my team. Working on a space telescope is extremely stressful - the pressure to do things with minimal time and cost were always over me. But my team was supportive and even when I made mistakes they encouraged me by staying late with me to help me find a solution.
What advice do you have for females who are interested in STEM?
Get a mentor - someone with who you feel comfortable asking questions. This was the way I was able to pursue. Now as a mentor myself I know that the relationship is reciprocal - I learn so much from mentoring! Today getting a mentor can be as easy as reaching out to somebody on LinkedIn who has a position that you might want one day and just asking them for a quick chat. I reach out to new contacts on LinkedIn all the time and although not everyone responds, most do!
What are your goals for the future?
Since I was the UC Davis SWE Outreach Chair, the goal to inspire more girls to pursue engineering has always been a goal for my future. I went back to school and got my Masters of Arts in Math and Science Education and taught Engineering and Physics to juniors and seniors at Burton High School in the San Francisco Unified School District. I started a chapter of IGNITE Worldwide at that school to bring in more women working in STEM fields so girls could see themselves in these careers. My current goal is to bring this program to more girls at public schools around the bay area.
SWE-GGS members can help by reaching out and introducing me to someone in their local government or school district who might also be excited about changing the statistics for young womxn in STEM. They can also help by introducing me to leaders at their companies to join a partnership with IGNITE Worldwide so employees have an opportunity to make a difference in young womxn's life.
Please visit our website for more information: IGNITE – Inspiring Girls Now In Technology Evolution
Once she graduated with her engineering degree, it took her a year to reach out to her local SWE chapter. She was so nervous to join a new SWE chapter. Her chapter at UC Davis felt so comfortable and she was close with its members. Would the SWE-GGS members accept her and her silliness? Would she have to be all professional now since this was, after all, professional SWE?
Amber was the only woman on her team working on the James Webb Space Telescope. So when she finally admitted that she needed a community of women engineers, Suzanne Kirk and Lisa Duncan, President and Treasurer at the time, greeted her with open arms. They were silly too! Amber was glad to have walked through her fear to find this extraordinary community.
In SWE-GGS Amber has been the Scholarship Chair. Her favorite part of being an officer was getting to know SWE members more and getting to read girls' scholarship applications!
Amber is also the San Francisco Regional Director of IGNITE Worldwide, whose mission is to inspire young womxn to pursue STEM. She does this by partnering with school districts and companies to run STEM programs like panels, field trips, and workshops. Since we partner with schools and can run our programs during the school day, we are able to reach the girls who aren't yet interested in STEM or think it's not for them. During the shelter in place, Amber and her team have pivoted all programs to be virtual. The program continues to give womxn working in STEM an opportunity to give young womxn hope for their future and confidence in pursuing their passions.
What inspired you to go into engineering?
My grandpa inspired me to go into engineering. He knew I liked math and computers. I didn't know what engineering was but when I was choosing my major he happened to mention that I would be a great engineer. That was enough for me! I applied for Computer Science and Engineering that day. Later, an optics professor inspired me to change majors to Optical Science and Engineering. One of his introductory lectures was full of awe for the beauty and incredibleness of the nature of light. I wanted to unlock its secrets too, so I applied to change my major. The application didn't get accepted right away, but I knew it was my path so I applied a second and third time and was finally accepted.
What was the most challenging part about engineering and did you ever face uncertainty about if engineering was right for you?
One of the most challenging parts of engineering for me was that there is not one right answer. As an optical engineer, I was constantly optimizing systems and there seemed to be infinite possible solutions. It wasn't like my beloved math - there was one right answer (most of the time) and when I got it I could celebrate! When my team and I found a solution to a problem in engineering, there was always that moment, or weeks or months, afterward where I doubted if the solution really was "the best". However, looking back, I now realize that this was a great life lesson for me even at a young age. In life, the possibilities are endless and it's ok to make mistakes - it actually helps us grow - as long as we learn from them.
In college, I definitely had obstacles like hard homework I thought I'd never complete, failing tests, and just not getting it. But I always pushed myself to find help and resources so was able to keep pursuing with the guidance of my colleagues and professors. As a professional engineer, I knew I was where I belonged. SWE helped me with this since I didn't see people like me on my team. Working on a space telescope is extremely stressful - the pressure to do things with minimal time and cost were always over me. But my team was supportive and even when I made mistakes they encouraged me by staying late with me to help me find a solution.
What advice do you have for females who are interested in STEM?
Get a mentor - someone with who you feel comfortable asking questions. This was the way I was able to pursue. Now as a mentor myself I know that the relationship is reciprocal - I learn so much from mentoring! Today getting a mentor can be as easy as reaching out to somebody on LinkedIn who has a position that you might want one day and just asking them for a quick chat. I reach out to new contacts on LinkedIn all the time and although not everyone responds, most do!
What are your goals for the future?
Since I was the UC Davis SWE Outreach Chair, the goal to inspire more girls to pursue engineering has always been a goal for my future. I went back to school and got my Masters of Arts in Math and Science Education and taught Engineering and Physics to juniors and seniors at Burton High School in the San Francisco Unified School District. I started a chapter of IGNITE Worldwide at that school to bring in more women working in STEM fields so girls could see themselves in these careers. My current goal is to bring this program to more girls at public schools around the bay area.
SWE-GGS members can help by reaching out and introducing me to someone in their local government or school district who might also be excited about changing the statistics for young womxn in STEM. They can also help by introducing me to leaders at their companies to join a partnership with IGNITE Worldwide so employees have an opportunity to make a difference in young womxn's life.
Please visit our website for more information: IGNITE – Inspiring Girls Now In Technology Evolution
Interview conducted in December 2020.
Amber Iraeta
Amber Iraeta is a life member of SWE and has held a variety of roles both as a professional and collegiate member. Currently, she is the VP for the Golden Gate Section, the UC Berkeley Counselor and a Joint-focused leadership coach for the Leadership Coaching Committee (LCC). She holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She currently works as a R&D Mechanical Engineering Group Lead for the Life Science Group at Bio-Rad Laboratories in Hercules, CA. Her hobbies include improv theater, running and travelling.
What inspired you to go into engineering?
It's hard to place my finger on what it was exactly that inspired me to get into engineering. I was always interested in science and math as a kid. When I was in elementary school I wanted to be an astronaut, my idol was (and still is) Sally Ride. My parents sent me to one summer camp as a kid, I picked space camp. Which, to this day, is some great bragging rights, it was awesome. I was interested in how things worked. I took apart computers in middle school and one of my favorite assignments from 7th grade was building a bridge out of toothpicks. My parents even got me toothpicks for Christmas so I could make more.
Although I had these great interests, the first person who mentioned engineering to me was my high school math teacher. He suggested I look into it as something I might be interested in. I didn't know any engineers. I did some very brief research (for something that decided the course of my career) and landed on Mechanical Engineering as something that seemed cool. Mechanical Engineers designed roller coasters, and I loved theme parks in high school, so good enough for me. Luckily, as I got into the major in college, I found that I really enjoy Mechanical Engineering and it fit with my interests. It's been truly a rewarding career.
Although I had these great interests, the first person who mentioned engineering to me was my high school math teacher. He suggested I look into it as something I might be interested in. I didn't know any engineers. I did some very brief research (for something that decided the course of my career) and landed on Mechanical Engineering as something that seemed cool. Mechanical Engineers designed roller coasters, and I loved theme parks in high school, so good enough for me. Luckily, as I got into the major in college, I found that I really enjoy Mechanical Engineering and it fit with my interests. It's been truly a rewarding career.
What challenges do you face in the workforce?
The feelings of my own inadequacy, or that I'm not good enough at what I do. (Generally called Imposter syndrome) I know this isn't true and I'm told all the time that I'm good at what I do, but my own mind puts doubts in my head and makes me question my actions or thoughts. It's gotten better over time, and through practice I can recognize when this is happening. I'm continually working on trusting my instincts and being confident in my abilities. Knowing what is holding you back is a good first step to start working on how to overcome it.
Do you have any word of advice for future engineers?
Take risks and be persistent. You make mistakes when you learn, the biggest thing is to not let those mistakes hold you back. It's important to learn from mistakes and then use that knowledge to continually move forward.
Also, don't be afraid of asking questions. Questions don't imply that you don't know what you are talking about! They are important to make sure you are on the same page as your team members.
Also, don't be afraid of asking questions. Questions don't imply that you don't know what you are talking about! They are important to make sure you are on the same page as your team members.
Interview conducted in August 2020.
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