Inspired by Perseverance

On Friday, October 27th, 2017, Mrs. Ellen Bartel sent me an email asking if I would be interested in representing DSHA at the Milwaukee Business Journal’s Women of Influence Symposium. The theme was “Soar” and the keynote speakers were Olympic gold medalist speed skater, Bonnie Blair, and Dr. Katie Weiss, current Walt Disney Imagineer, former NASA rocket scientist, not to mention she was a DSHA graduate, class of 1997. Being a public speaking enthusiast I quickly accepted the invitation, and on November 10th I had the amazing opportunity to introduce Dr. Katie Weiss to a ballroom full of women from all over Milwaukee.

 

For those of you who are not aware, Dr. Weiss not only helped to land the NASA Rover "Curiosity" on Mars, she now works as an Imagineer for Disney. Her resume is beyond impressive. While Dr. Weiss was at NASA, she worked for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) where she was the first woman flight software lead, playing an integral role in writing code that successfully landed the rover on Mars. Her code-writing is in continued use for an in-progress NASA mission to explore Jupiter’s moon, Europa.

 

If that isn’t impressive enough, Dr. Weiss now works at Walt Disney as an Imagineer. She currently serves as the Technical Manager for Show Control where she manages and leads the team of engineers who write code for all robotic animation at Disney attractions world-wide. In other words, she “makes the magic happen”!

 

Despite her hectic schedule, she was able to take the time to visit and speak with DSHA students the Thursday before the symposium. She sugar-coated nothing has she described the discrimination she faced as a woman. She specifically described an experience that occurred on the night of the Curiosity landing at NASA Mission Control: someone had mistaken her for a makeup artist, and not one of the incredible minds behind the successful and pivotal moment in the history of space exploration. I know that women are not always taken as seriously men in the professional world; however, it was still shocking to listen to a firsthand account of this prejudice. For a few moments this reality check discouraged me and as an aspiring future physician I wondered, how am I going to make a difference and help those in need if no one will believe that I can? After this flash of doubt, I remembered the amazing community of women that I have been fortunate enough to connect with over the past four years at DSHA. I also remembered the courageous women who came before me that not only made my education possible but also advocated for my rights as a woman. I admire Dr. Weiss’s determination and it has inspired me to rise above the erroneous notions of what a woman’s job should be.

 

Dr. Weiss also spoke of the joys of her jobs and journey along the way. She was the first woman to graduate from Marquette University's Computer Engineering program and went on to earn her master’s and doctorate degrees in aeronautics and astronautics from MIT. She shared how MIT was an especially wonderful place where she was not defined as less-than because she was a woman, but she was defined by her passion and her work. As she spoke to us students she quickly became someone who I knew I could look up to.

 

On the day of the symposium, I was so extremely nervous, as I was to introduce Dr. Katie Weiss in front of around 500 people. I was not nervous about the public speaking, I was only asking "how was I supposed to do her justice?" To me, Dr. Katie Weiss was the epitome of what I want to achieve. Not only did she seem genuinely happy, she truly changed the world through her work on Curiosity and also her work to continue the magic of Disney for generations to come.

 

However, as she began to tell her story it became abundantly clear that discrimination in the workforce was not the only obstacle she faced. After giving a quick autobiography she began to tell of the health problems she faced. Unannounced to me, she had a brain tumor during her work on the Mars Curiosity Rover that affected her vision and her overall well-being. She underwent surgery and the surgeons were able to remove part of the tumor, but they discovered that it had also spread into an inoperable part of her brain. She discussed how important her support system was and expressed her enjoyment of being an Imagineer at Disney. The strength that she exhibited by telling her story only solidified my admiration.

 

Being a representative of DSHA at this symposium helped me make new connections and also helped me to see beyond my life as a high school student. Before this event I was a supporter of women's rights, but after I have realized that being an advocate is not a “one-time” deal. I have learned that as I grow and move on to new life experiences I must always be aware of the disparity of women in the STEM fields. Despite this, I must rise above and follow the actions of Dr. Weiss as well as the words of Shirley Chisholm which are as follows: "if they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair".

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