Q: Is there a woman who mentored or inspired you throughout your career?
A: Interestingly, I can't identify a female role model in my life, but I've had many great male mentors. My college advisor/ professor led me on a successful path to grad school. After grad school I had a mentor who was the CEO of a medical device company in Switzerland. He was my counterpart who took an active role in making sure I was successful as an engineer. To this day, I reach out to him for advice saying, "I feel like I'm working ten times harder than these men because I'm a woman. I feel I have to prove myself." He always responds in a supportive way with comments such as, "Yes, that's very common. That is how women feel in the workplace and you don’t have to do that." He built my confidence to be both a great mom and engineer, pointing out all the skills that I developed as a mother (multitasking, organization, patience), I then brought to the workplace. He helped me work through guilt and find a balance.
