Women Engineers: Many Paths to a Rewarding Life
Genevieve Betro ’07
On an even keel
“A lot of girls will ask, ‘are you treated differently as a woman engineer?’ That’s never, ever the case. Everything is on an even keel; everyone is the same.”
B.S. in Aerospace Engineering '07.
Employed by Raytheon Missile Systems.
I sat down with my eleventh grade guidance counselor the summer before senior year. I knew I wanted an aerospace program, a music program, and a competitive school because if I’m not challenged, I get bored.
I came to an open house at BU and made my decision from that. There was something about walking around the campus – it just felt right.
A lot of girls will ask, “Are you treated differently as a woman engineer, whether it’s being given special treatment or discriminated against?” That’s never, ever the case. Everything is on an even keel; everyone is the same.
I was always used to being at the top of my class, but someone told me -- and I think it’s true – that engineering is a very humbling major. Everyone will have their days.
Working on a team for senior project was challenging. It was a team of six, which is big. It’s hard to make sure you’re listening to everyone’s ideas. But we were good about overcoming any teamwork issues to make sure everything ran smoothly.
The highlight was that last presentation – you don’t worry about the grades, you want to present something that works and that you can be proud of spending all that time on.
We made a list of goals at the beginning of the year and we put the goal of winning the award for best project in our department on the list. It was in the back of our heads the whole way. When the e-mail announcing the “2007 Best Aero Project” came, all I saw were the capital letters of our team name. I actually was jumping up and down. I don’t think I read the rest of the email until an hour later.
After graduation, I’ll be moving to Tucson, Arizona to work for Raytheon Missile Systems working in guidance, navigation and control. This job came from an online application I completed. It was my first actual interview and my first offer. I ended up signing on and faxing my acceptance during exam week first semester –so I had a job before the end of first semester finals.
