IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 21

Easter enrolled in science classes
at Hunter College as an initial test for
herself-it had been so long since she
had stayed in one city for a significant
amount of time that she challenged herself to see if she could even last the full
semester. Instead, she surpassed her own
expectations, falling completely back in
love with engineering and being a student. "It was really difficult, and I had to
work doubly hard to catch up but I think
one advantage I had over a traditional
college student was that, when I decided
to go back to school, it was completely
for me," she says. "There wasn't anybody
telling me that I should get a degree or
that I might be good at engineering; it
was 100% my choice and something that
I wanted to do well."
Easter's dedication paid off, with a
rewarding educational experience resulting in her 2015 graduation from Stevens
Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New
Jersey, with a degree in mechanical engineering and a 4.0 grade-point average.
On top of that, she built a network of
peers and professors who provided support and unlocked opportunities for her
throughout her journey. While many of
Easter's professors took note of how hard
she worked, she credits one in particular,
physics professor Godfrey Gumbs, with
giving her the extra push to achieve her

A Girl Scouts robotics team joined Easter to create LED hair bows.

goals. "I'm really fortunate that he took
me under his wing," she says, noting that
Gumbs played such an important role
in her life that she sends him a Father's
Day card each year. "He pushed me
into internships and opportunities that
seemed like they were beyond my means
but he somehow knew that I would struggle and then eventually get through it.
I'm so grateful to him because I think the
fact that he pushed me to excel is what
ultimately caught the intention of JPL,
where I am now."
JPL refers to NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory in Pasadena, California,
where Easter works for the Payload and
Small Spacecraft Mechanical Engineering Section in the Mechatronics Group.
She's currently focused on designing

an active motion control system for
the testing of spacecraft, among other
projects aimed to help scientists understand the environments in space that
have hardly been explored. "Working for
NASA is like pioneering the knowledge
base for mankind, and it is so exciting,"
describes Easter. "I've always really liked
research. Whenever I look something
up and there's nothing in Google about
it, that's when I know I'm going in the
right direction."
Another factor telling Easter she's
on the right path is the encouraging
workplace environment fostered by
JPL. "These are some of the smartest
and most supportive people I have ever
worked with," she says. "I have a great
team and mentor who always make me

Easter addresses the room during the NASA Space Apps Women in Data Bootcamp.

DECEMBER 2017

IEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE

21



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017

IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - Cover1
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - Cover2
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 1
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 2
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 3
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 4
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 5
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 6
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 7
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 8
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 9
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 10
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 11
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 12
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 13
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 14
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 15
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 16
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 17
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 18
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 19
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 20
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 21
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 22
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 23
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 24
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 25
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 26
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 27
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 28
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 29
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 30
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 31
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 32
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 33
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 34
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 35
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 36
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 37
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 38
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 39
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 40
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 41
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 42
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 43
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IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 45
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 46
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 47
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 48
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 49
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 50
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 51
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 52
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 53
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 54
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 55
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 56
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - Cover3
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - Cover4
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