Engineering wisdom

You can’t do it all yourself.

It was fitting advice Chelsea Thomas (’09 B.S.E.E.) shared with a group of current University of Michigan-Dearborn students.

She was talking about delegating assignments at work. But the message of seeking help from others fit with the theme of the day during Engineering Wisdom Day, held on campus March 28.

The university’s chapters of Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and Alpha Omega Epsilon (AOE) brought three UM-Dearborn alumnae back to their alma mater for the event. SWE Chapter President Ashley Klepadlo hoped to create a platform where alumni could share their knowledge and experiences in the workplace.

“We wanted to strengthen the connection between alumni and current students,” Klepadlo said. “It is important that we use every source and every person available to us to continue our individual and organizations’ growth.”

Thomas, who works on lighting design at SHW Group, was joined by Judy Curran (’87 M.S.E.E.), vehicle line director at Ford Motor Company, and Janet E. Hall (’68 M.S.E.E., ’90 M.B.A.), CECS’ first female graduate, who retired from Ford in 2002.

The panel dished out advice on choosing a program, navigating office politics and how to best prepare for the workplace.

“You don’t need to know everything,” Hall said. “You learn how to learn in school. The ability to think and solve a problem—those skills are always needed.”

They stressed the importance of learning to work in a team and taking advantage of the university’s co-op program.

The women also commiserated with the group about the rigors of the program, before leaving them with a message of hope.

“More than once I wanted to quit school. Brute force kept me going,” Curran said. “But the fun stuff is the work you do. It gets better.”