Forces of Change

Kennesaw State STEM leaders champion gender diversity in industry

By Kennesaw State University

October 1^st, 2021

Though they compose nearly half of the U.S. workforce, women only represent about 27 percent of the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) industry, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. What those numbers don’t reflect, however, is the steady rise of women launching careers in STEM since the 1970s.

Leading the tides of change are institutions like Kennesaw State University, where women are provided the tools and support that guide them in the pursuit of fruitful careers in STEM. Whether it’s through student-run organizations that build a sense of community among students or National Science Foundation-funded initiatives offering scholarships and wraparound services to aspiring women engineers, architects, data scientists and educators, efforts at Kennesaw State follow a certain trend: They were launched by women who have overcome their own obstacles.

In celebration of Women's History Month, we have asked some women STEM leaders at KSU to answer questions regarding their own path toward STEM and the measures they have taken to ensure they won’t be the last.

Roneisha “Ro” Worthy

An associate professor in KSU’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Worthy serves as the faculty advisor for the student chapters of the Society of Women Engineers and the National Society of Black Engineers. In the past, she has partnered with the KSU Women’s Resource Center and AmeriCorp’s Volunteers in Service to America to host Pathways to STEAM Summer Camp, which is designed to provide opportunities for girls to explore topics specific to science, technology, engineering, art and math.

Q: What are some obstacles you’ve encountered on the road to a career in STEM and how did you overcome them?

A: Overcoming imposter syndrome has been one of the greatest personal obstacles on my road to a career in STEM. Having a sense of self-worth is so important when encountering obstacles you can’t control. There is no magic pill to overcoming imposter syndrome, but through self-care and wellness, I’ve accumulated a toolbox of strategies such as daily affirmations, meditation and practicing gratitude, to fight off negative and unproductive thinking.

Q: How do you inspire or motivate other women to enter your field?

A: We like to believe that just sharing our stories of how we persevered is enough to inspire and motivate. While that is a good start, I believe that being active in our advocacy work is key. My work in STEM outreach and curriculum development is my way of taking action to ensure that women are exposed to STEM at an early age and that they have content and materials that not just represent their interests but encompasses their lived experiences.

Q: In what ways are barriers for women coming down?

A: As I look at the recent appointments of administrators and executives within academia and the STEM industry, many of whom are women of color, you can’t help but see the progress we are making. I believe cautious optimism is the correct approach moving forward. As barriers are broken down, we must be certain to remove the “debris” to prevent any rebuilding. Understanding what created those barriers is crucial to us not repeating the past. Putting on my engineering hat, I’d say that a root cause analysis is necessary to change the systems that stand in the way of equity in STEM and equity in humanity.

Paola Spoletini

An interim associate dean in the College of Computing and Software Engineering and professor in the Department of Software Engineering and Game Development, Spoletini is active in recruiting a diverse team of undergraduate and graduate students to engage in research. After arriving at KSU in 2015, she launched the Tiresias Lab, which is designed to introduce software engineering students to more advanced applications of requirements engineering.

Q: What are some obstacles you’ve encountered on the road to a career in STEM and how did you overcome them?

A: I come from a family that encouraged me to be whoever I wanted to be, and my parents taught me that being female should not affect my goals. Despite the support from my family, I have at times felt uncomfortable. Not because I was the only female in the room, but rather because someone tried to imply that I was there just because they needed a female as a "token.” It did not happen often, fortunately. And when it did, I tried to transform this uncomfortable feeling into positive energy and show I was in the room because I was more than qualified to be there.

Q: What role have mentors played in your career?

A: Different mentors have played different roles in my career. One mentor I want to mention in particular is a professor I met later in my career, when I was already an assistant professor. She is a force of nature: smart, strong, direct, patient when needed but also impatient when necessary, and much more. Through her example, she taught me how to be better, how one can always improve, how one should not just sit on their achievements but rather keep pushing and how one should learn from their failures. She made me realize that I also want to be an example for other women and junior researchers in general, and that my work and my dedication to my goals can also help others to achieve their own goals.

Q: In what ways are barriers for women coming down?

A: I believe there is a growing understanding that we can all contribute in our own way to the success of our field, but that we are also all different, with different needs. In computing, there is a great deal of effort invested into building environments that are inclusive and support all of our differences. We are still far from an ideal situation, with some initiatives working well and others not so much. However, the important point is that the conversation is ongoing, and we keep trying.

Adriane Randolph

A tenured professor in the Department of Information Systems and Security and founder and executive director of the Coles College of Business' BrainLab, Randolph studies how neuroscience-based technologies can help us better understand human behavior. She was recognized as one of KSU's 2019 Faculty Award winners, receiving the Outstanding Research and Creative Activity Award in Interdisciplinary Research. She encourages others to pursue their passions and live out their dreams, and she serves as a consultant on a National Science Foundation grant to promote more women in the field of information systems to the level of full professor.

Q: How do you inspire or motivate other women to enter your field?

A: I try to be seen and present opportunities for women to be seen. I show up to conferences to present or encourage and promote female students to present when possible. I sit on higher levels of leadership, send opportunities to my students, conduct speaking engagements at elementary schools up to college-level classes and discuss the many pathways to my career field. Often, I directly reach out to female students who show promise and invite them for meetings even if I am not their direct advisor. This is my way of making sure they are not lost in the system or in their own thinking.

Q: What role have mentors played in your career?

A: Mentors have been key for my career success and taken many forms from Asian men to white women to Black women and many others. Mentors have been important to my understanding of how to negotiate my initial faculty appointments and options for the future, and for feeling human and being fully understood as many aspects of my life needed balance. In particular, I received advice that career negotiations are necessary when women often underplay and underpay themselves. I’ve been fortunate to have great examples of people who have touched my life, whose methods I’ve tried to replicate for others.

Q: Looking five years into the future, can you describe the change you wish to see?

A: I see significantly more women and women of color level with their male colleagues. Further, I see more women progressing within information systems academe according to their desired career path and definitions of success. I also hope to see more vocal diversity, equality and inclusion experts who are white, and men recognizing that women and women of color are exhausted from being the experts.

Irish Horsey

The interim chair of the Department of Construction Management and assistant professor of construction management, Horsey has been active in pushing more women to pursue careers in construction, where only make up about 10 percent of the workforce. She recently guided more than 25 students in establishing the Kennesaw Women in Construction (KWIC), of which she serves as faculty advisor. The organization exists to help with recruitment and retention of women by creating an environment of “support and belonging” for those entering the industry.

Q: What role have mentors played in your career?

A: Mentors have been essential to my career growth and development. Their input has been invaluable to the decision making and choices relative to my career path. As you can imagine, there were very few female mentors in my construction industry career. However, I have valued the relationships of women in similar fields and in higher education.

Q: In what ways are barriers for women coming down?

A: There are more women entering the field of construction management and obtaining positions of leadership and authority than when I started my career. I believe this shift is helping remove some barriers. Additionally, with the construction industry experiencing a labor shortage in both the management and trades sectors, companies are realizing that women were an untapped resource, allowing for more women to enter the field.

Q: Looking five years into the future, can you describe the change you wish to see?

A: I would like to see more large-scale women-owned construction companies. Further, I would like to see more diversity in leadership in construction management, and for young girls to have more exposure to the industry and opportunities.