I WAS AN ARTIST, A POET, A MATHEMATICIAN—AND A GIRL. What made me think I should go to engineering school? Back in the late 1970s, engineering was considered an ironclad, old boys' network.
For starters, my mother, an artist herself, had already discouraged the creative route, since from her experience I would have few opportunities as a woman. (I didn't know then what I know now about defying limitations, or I might have challenged that one.) So, encouraged along the math path by both my parents and teachers as a talent that could be used to earn a living, I applied to a prestigious engineering school—and got in. My high test scores prevented the school from outright refusing me, so they invited me for an interview, where they told "the girl" that she would in no way fit into the program. Even though I left in tears, the encounter galvanized me, and I enrolled at the college.
Well, they were right. Engineering school had huge obstacles. Not only did I find myself in a totally male environment, but most students weren't American, so along with the prejudices in my own culture, I faced the global ones, as well. Try being a "girl" assigned to do a group project with guys from cultures where it was unacceptable for a man to even look a woman in the eye!
