I became an engineer because it is simultaneously a challenge and a passion. As an alumnus of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, I was taught to “learn by doing” and my industry experiences in construction, HVAC, and MEP design reinforced that. As a young professional, I am now strengthening my passion for engineering, innovation, collaboration, and perseverance every day through my work at Mazzetti and my involvement with ASHRAE and the Society of Women Engineers.
I bring value to my clients by being a team player and keeping an open mind to other’s opinion and ideas. What makes me most excited about my work is the people that I interact with daily (both inside and outside Mazzetti). Enjoying the people that you work with makes your job easier and more fun to do! Additionally, I am a Chair of the Women@Mazzetti (W@M) community dedicated to ensuring Mazzetti is the most female-friendly engineering & technology consulting firm. Women account for less than one-third of the total employed in STEM industries, and 30% of women who have left the engineering profession cite organizational climate as the reason. We are working to change this narrative for women at Mazzetti and our industry at large. The W@M community focuses on:
- Partnerships and outreach with other women-focused groups
- Education and awareness within Mazzetti
- Women’s Mentorship Program
- Implicit Bias Assessments and Scenario Discussions
- Panels and Trainings on Allies, Diversity, and Inclusion
- Continuing efforts with the United Nations Women Empowerment Principles (UN WEP)
One of the most rewarding projects I have been involved with is the Decarbonizing Healthcare Guidebook. It is a project unlike any other I’ve worked on and has the potential to greatly impact the way we design hospitals in the future. It’s the type of project that we get to create as we go along because we don’t know what the best strategies are going to be for getting people to participate, getting content and ideas contributed, and how best to share compile and share that information with others. Our first workshop series for the guidebook expanded from a proposed two day, in person event to a 12-week series with seven workshops on different topics. I am very excited to see what the final product of the guidebook will be when we finish the project in 2023!
Another interesting project I have participated in is O’Connor Hospital. It was one of the first projects I worked on with Mazzetti and as it progressed from design to construction it continued to keep us on our toes. With seven packages all under construction at once on the hospital site, it was sometimes hard to keep track of what was happening where. Because of the hospital’s age, we saw a lot of unique situations where things were built, modified, and changed over many years and were not as well coordinated as what we normally see with a new construction building. Overall, the project was a great learning experience especially because of the time I spent on site looking at the existing systems and coordinating with the contractors.
I grew up in Redwood City, CA in the same house where my dad grew up. Whenever we had home improvements, it was always my dad and our family doing them. Whether it was painting, pouring a new driveway, landscaping the backyard, or putting up the Christmas lights, I was always watching my parents figure out how to do the work, which instilled in me a great sense of curiosity and independence to want to do things myself. Having the chance to help with those hands-on projects also opened the door into engineering for me. I loved going in my dad’s or grandpa’s garage and finding things to play with, build, or take apart.
Outside of the office, I enjoy hiking, yoga, cooking and baking, reading, travelling, enjoying a good glass of wine, and spending time with friends and family. I previously worked in a winery tasting room and I enjoy learning about the process and flare of winemaking. I am an avid theatergoer in San Francisco. I love camping with my family and going on road trips with friends. My pandemic hobby was learning to make pasta from scratch.