On 28th March 2018, Transit Wireless (a majority owned BAI Communications company) hosted a panel at Brooklyn Technical High School to discuss the prospect of STEM careers with local high school students; young women in particular. This initiative was proposed after the women of Transit Wireless celebrated International Women’s Day (9th March 2018), with a “Press for Progress” think-tank, where several Corporate Social Responsibility prospects for the company were discussed. Based on opinions gathered at the “Press for Progress” think-tank, gender and ethnic diversity within STEM are important topics to Transit Wireless employees. As a particularly diverse company, it planned to embolden young women and other STEM hopefuls by sharing our unique backgrounds and experience. This event was organized in response to the statistical lack of women being represented in STEM, with the purpose of encouraging female students to continue on this career path. Physical representations of diversity can be an important part of inspiring the youth, and Transit Wireless’ panel of women from various backgrounds was able to provide a plethora of experiences and advice.
The Transit Wireless panelists connected with the young women and men of Brooklyn Tech through an open discussion about their experiences as working women in a male-dominated field. The panel speakers who shared their diverse wealth of STEM industry knowledge with the students included, Nupur Sutaria, Pam Hooks and Nic Strahl, with Katryna Peart (Senior Marketing Specialist) as the moderator. Both Nupur and Pam are a part of the Design and Construction team at Transit Wireless. Nupur is a Design Manager, while Pam is a Safety Engineer. The third panelist, Nic leads the marketing team as Senior Marketing and Communications Manager.
Nupur discussed her experience with career development at Transit Wireless: how her education led her to the company and how she navigates being one of the only female engineers on the Design Team. Pam was able to offer a more unique context based on over 30 years of experience, including how being a specialist in a male-dominated industry has its benefits. She was also able to speak more in-depth about how her specialization helped advance her career, and the many transferable skills she was able to take with her from other roles. Nic shared her advice for both breaking into and navigating the industry from a more corporate perspective, based on her marketing experience within several industries. Students were then able to ask questions of the Transit Wireless team; many of them young women inquiring about adversities our team members may have experienced in the field, how they came to work in STEM, and what motivates them about their careers.
The Transit Wireless team was excited to utilize their platform to motivate and excite the younger generation of up-and-coming STEM professionals. The team look forward to the next opportunity to connect with the community and share its story.
