Jasmina Biswas-Carpenter, MSEE

Growing up on the outskirts of a city in India, I didn’t have much in the way of resources. I watched my parents struggle every day to give me a decent life. Witnessing those financial hardships didn’t break me; it built me. It instilled a level of discipline and motivation that has become my "north star." When I came to the US, I carried a $90,000 education loan. I knew that if I wanted to be self-reliant and repay that debt, I had to outwork everyone. I spent years refining my skills, staying curious, and saying "yes" to every opportunity that pushed me out of my comfort zone.

But I didn't get here alone. My success is a map of the people who guided me: my Master’s advisor, Dr. Jacob Adams, who turned my curiosity into a passion for engineering, Alan Miller, my mentor at TE Connectivity, who embraced my questions and taught me the fundamentals of the automotive industry, and Ervin Larashi and Marc Bosbach, my current leaders at Ford. They’ve shown incredible faith in me, giving me the responsibilities I needed to grow from a student into a confident engineer. I owe where I am today to the discipline of my roots and the generosity of my mentors. If there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: Stay curious, work harder than expected, and always remember the people who helped you climb. Expected, and always remember the people who helped you climb.

The best career advice I ever received was simple: Never Stop Adapting. Never stop adapting.

In the world of innovation, technical excellence and business acumen are two sides of the same coin. You can’t build a truly successful organization with just one; you need the engineering 'how' and the strategic 'why' working in harmony. This realization is exactly what drives me today as I bridge my background in RF engineering with my MBA, because to lead in this industry, you have to speak both languages.

My advice for women starting their careers is built on three things:

1. Voice: Speak up and be assertive, even if you’re worried about 'looking a certain way.' Your perspective is needed.
2. Value: Know the market and ask for the right pay. Don't be afraid to negotiate for what you’ve earned.
3. Growth: Stay curious. Ask for guidance on the 'right way' to do things and remain open to learning from everyone you meet.

I live and work by three core values: discipline, adaptability, and continuous improvement. For me, discipline is a muscle I train daily through weightlifting. This practice reinforces the commitment, focus, and consistency that I bring to complex engineering projects at Ford. I also believe that adaptability is a vital, yet overlooked, value. To increase productivity and efficiency, we must be willing to embrace change rather than fear it. Ultimately, my guiding philosophy is the '1% Rule': I don’t aim for perfection overnight; I aim to be 1% better today than I was yesterday.