Over the last several decades, women have worked to establish themselves as reputable members of the Science Technology Engineering & Math (STEM) community. Traditionally, they were stereotyped as homemakers, expected to tend to the home and children or take up careers as nurses or teachers. However, the atmosphere has changed, and women are continuing to break through the expectations society has placed on them.
Magnolia native and Texas A&M University graduate, Carly Sullins, grew up on a farm, working with cattle and heavy machinery. Life on the farm is what sparked her curiosity about how things worked.
As a child, Sullins was always interested in food. She could be found in the kitchen or watching the cooking channel at any chance. She dreamed of opening up a bakery one day. But entering high school, she excelled in math and science, and the STEM skills she developed ended up carrying her into the competitive industry of engineering.
“Going to college, I wanted to combine all of my passions of math, science, getting my hands dirty, and food – this all lead me to pursue a degree in Chemical Engineering with dreams of impacting the future food industry,” says Sullins.
She explains how chemical engineering is all over the food industry and the technical aspects that go into her day-to-day work, from the cooking processes that change the look, taste, and texture of a chip to the ingredients at the molecular level..
While she may not use all of the nitty-gritty aspects of what she learned in school, she says that it was the time management, critical thinking, and problem solving skills that have made the biggest impact in her career so far. She works with many different aspects of production: replacing Steam Hoods and Exhaust fans on Cheeto Puff lines, managing the replacement of weighing equipment that measures the weight of each individual bag of chips, and the replacement of exterior paneling of insulation of an entire work site. As she progresses further into her career, she could manage up to seven or eight projects at a time.
Just before her sophomore year at TAMU, attended an event in her hometown where she met head brew master of Anheuser Busch who ended up offering her a position as a summer intern. She says this experience opened her eyes to the field, which lead her to apply for an internship with Frito Lay/PepsiCo, where she now works as a team member for the Fields Capital/Expenditure (CAPEX) “in the engineering department that focuses on the facilities and infrastructure of all of the manufacturing sites.” This team is responsible for working on drains, installing food safety equipment, building expansions, replacing HVAC systems, “and so much more”. She says the goal for her team is to ensure that the plants are working in the most efficient way possible.
She says she fell in love with the company culture, drive, and impact that Pepsi Co was achieving. She secured a full time position after her internship during her junior year and "never looked back."
She attributes her competitive spirit to what pushed her to never give up. Before landing her dream job, Sullins graduated from TAMU in May of 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, where she is able to put her skills to work.
Sullins says, “Through college, I put all focus on my engineering degree which meant many sacrifices. I had very minimal time with friends, I would put in over fourteen hours of studying everyday, and my engineering building soon became my home for all four years. I tested my own mental strength and my passion. I often questioned if it was worth if or if there was an easier option. No matter what, I gave it my all and that got me to the finish line with my degree.”
Texas A&M offers many opportunities for women in the College of Engineering to get a foot in the door while developing the technical skills necessary to succeed in the field. During her time at TAMU, Sullins was involved in both social and academic organizations. She joined the American Institute of Chemical Engineers to surround herself with students with the same passion for engineering and to network with fellow engineers, which gave her the confidence to take advantage of what her career can offer.
Networking events provided from TAMU helped get her foot in the door and gave her the confidence to take advantage of every opportunity. She excitedly describes that she is lucky to work for a company that pushes women to be involved; “Our supervisors and superiors take the time to help us pursue efforts to ensure that we succeed. I have had the chance to get involved in many female leadership groups that have allowed me to now have the career path that will lead to a high leadership position.”
Engineering is an industry that, historically, has been dominated by males. The 2017 enrollment report published by Texas A&M shows that only 22.1% of engineering graduates were females. Statistically, more undergraduate women are enrolled in the College of Education and Human Development or the College of Liberal Arts, suggesting that women are more hesitant to go for careers in the hard or physical sciences and mathematics due to social pressure to fulfill a different role in society.
Sullins believes that you should never let stereotypes or the expectations of others on you keep you from working for what you want; “I am completely aware of the male to female ratio in STEM careers, but that is exactly what pushed me just that bit more to pursue an engineering degree.”
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