In honor of Thursday, February 25th being National Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, I sat down with Kristen Campbell in order to learn more about her life as a third year Biomedical Engineering student.
JK: Tell us a little about yourself.
KC: I’m Kristen Campbell- a junior here at UConn. I’m from Newtown, CT.
JK: When did you first decide to major in biomedical engineering?
KC: I think it was around sixth grade.
JK: Tell me about your future career aspirations.
KC: I am currently a Biomedical Engineer major here at UConn but eventually I would like to work in implant design or prosthetics. I am specifically interested in the research and developmental aspects of biomedical engineering.
JK: What made you choose this major?
KC: In sixth grade, I was diagnosed with Calcaneonavicular Coalition in both of my feet, which essentially means that some of the bones are fused together. It’s painful if I walk too much, so in sixth and seventh grade I had foot surgery to put a titanium plug in my foot. Since I still have this plug in my foot, I have always wanted to help other people and design implants. I really liked seeing the x-rays after my surgery and thought the biodegradable sutures I had were very cool.
JK: Has there been anyone who influenced you to become an engineer?
KC: My grandpa was an engineer and my mom is a nurse. I always heard stories from my grandpa, which I considered fascinating. Growing up with my mom as a nurse, I was always exposed to the field of medicine. Biomedical engineering falls somewhere in the middle of those two fields.
JK: What do you find to be the biggest misconception about engineering majors?
KC: I would say a misconception is that engineering majors don’t have a social life. While it’s definitely a lot of work, it is for sure possible to have a social life while remaining involved around campus. It’s not easy, but I make it work.
JK: How do you balance a heavy workload along with a social life?
KC: I’m currently in Phi Rho- a social sorority for women in engineering, so I am able to get involved with that. Since we are all engineering majors, we all balance our responsibilities with the sorority and our workload together. It’s helpful to have study groups within our sorority but I also try to complete my all my homework before the deadline.
JK: Do you experience any sexism as a female in engineering?
KC: Sometimes, yes. A lot of my classes are male dominated. I once witnessed someone tell a girl to leave engineering “to the boys.” This made me angry. Women are just as capable of holding top positions and being just as successful.
JK: What characteristics or skills do you find essential for an engineering major?
KC: Time management skills, being organized and creative as well as having strong problem solving skills and lots of tissues (you will cry a lot!) are all key.
JK: What would you say to someone who is considering a major in engineering?
KC: I would encourage it. I would highly encourage it actually. Although it is a lot of work, it’s rewarding in the end and you can help a huge population of people with whatever type of engineer you choose to become.
Kristen is happy to answer any further questions, as well as offer advice to anyone interested in engineering. Feel free to contact her at Kristen.Campbell@uconn.edu or follow her on instagram/twitter @ _kcampbell.