IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2017 - 22

feel like there are people in my corner.
On a broader scale, JPL is definitely trying to encourage more women to join
and is actively trying to ensure that it's a
safe space for women to work."
This is especially important to Easter who has unfortunately encountered
a number of disparaging remarks due
to her appearance and former life as
a model, sharing one story in which a
colleague told her she reminded him
of Elle Woods from Legally Blonde.
But she refuses to let instances like
Not one to sit idly by, the NASA Space
these get to her after working as hard
Apps Women in Data Bootcamp
as she did to get to where she is today.
provided Easter the opportunity to get
"I think engineering is a merit-based
her hands dirty with the attendees.
field, and I'm here to produce quality
work, so there's no room for me to be
judged based on my appearance," she
for other girls. If just one girl stays on the
argues. Though, she continues, "I'm
path to STEM due to my example, that
glad that I feel confident enough to
would be a huge victory for me."
speak up for myself when something
Easter's outreach efforts include estabgets said to me, but I always wonder
lishing an educational program and trivia
what someone who is not as comfortcompetition for New Jersey middle school
able speaking up would do in the same
students and, just last year, cofounding
situation and how they would internalthe nonprofit Mind Makers for adults
ize the remark."
with nontraditional backgrounds who are
By having these experiences, Easter is
interested in engineering. Though she
more motivated than ever to perform outnever set out to start an organization, Easreach. "From my own personal journey,
ter says she and her friends, Isis Anchalee
I understand the benefit I gained
(who started the #ILookLikeAnEngifrom someone giving me just
neer movement) and Melody
Mind
a little extra attention and
Schuster (a former model
helping me recognize
now finishing up her
Makers creates
and focus on my abildegree to become an
opportunities to
ity," she says, hopelementary school
engage with STEM
ing she can do the
science teacher),
projects by providing
same to encourare all passionaccess to an open-source
age other students
ate about educawho display a pastion and creating
curriculum focused
sion for STEM.
diverse
role models.
on mechanical
She also conFrom there, Mind
and electrical
siders whether she
Makers was born.
engineering.
would have taken the
The group's goal is
same journey if a female
to encourage adults who
role model in STEM had been
have had different life paths to
available to her. "Now that I'm in the
get a basic engineering education. "I was
position I'm in, I always think about preinspired by my own experience," says
teen me and how my life would have been
Easter. "I saw the extreme difference in
different if I had seen an adult version of
my happiness before and after my edume," she reflects. "I definitely don't regret
cation. It was as if I was unhappy but
anything because modeling gave me so
didn't even realize it." With that undermany incredible experiences, but there's
standing, Mind Makers creates oppora big part of me that's really motivated
tunities to engage with STEM projects
to be an example of something different
by providing access to an open-source

IEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2017

curriculum focused on mechanical and
electrical engineering. "It's designed
assuming students have no prior STEM
background at all, but when they're
done, they'll be comfortable speaking
technical jargon and should feel empowered to tackle their own projects or build
a team to do so," explains Easter. Mind
Makers also offers workshops guided by
professional engineers and support on
"soft skills" like leadership and teamwork, all culminating in an interactive
engineering exhibit to showcase what
the new engineers have learned.
The team also conducts workshops for
children, holding its first events earlier
this year with the Girl Scouts. "We invited
a Girl Scouts robotics team to a workshop
where we created remote-controlled LED
hair bows and they loved it," says Easter.
To pay it forward, Mind Makers provides
training, tool kits, and supplies for the
Girl Scouts team so that they can run
their own workshops as well as work side
by side with the team to support events.
For example, in April 2017, the Girl
Scouts team joined Mind Makers at the
NASA Space Apps Women in Data Bootcamp to co-run a workshop during the
event, even teaching NASA Chief Technology Officer Deborah Diaz how to solder.
Between outreach to the next generation of engineers and her own journey to
a job at NASA, Easter is the very definition of a role model who is "leading by
example." But she also offers the following advice: "Think of whatever it is
you're working toward as just a temporary transition. Especially if you are an
adult, you already have a life set up and
a job to pay your bills, and it seems doubly hard to make a big change or start
something new, but it's only temporary."
"And then," she continues, "all of
a sudden you wake up with this brand
new life. I only started college in 2010
and now in 2016, I work for NASA. So
do not doubt yourself! You are capable
of so much more than you know, but
you will only learn how much by taking
your goals head on."
-Leslie Prives

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