Her Story
About Lorelei
My journey in chemical engineering began when I entered college about three years ago. I wasn't exactly sure what type of engineering I wanted to pursue, but when I looked into the different engineering degrees, I noticed that chemical engineering was a really broad field. You don't have to specifically decide on exactly what you want to do in the moment because there are so many options and segues you can go into career-wise. I took it because of that broadness of choosing what I wanted to do. Currently, I'm a supply chain intern at PepsiCo at one of their satellite warehouses, where I shadow workers, see how the warehouse runs and all their operations, analyze data to optimize warehouse times, and observe the picking and delivering of loads. It's been extremely fascinating because there's a lot more aspects to it than it seems on the surface. It's interesting to see how every person's role plays a larger part in making the warehouse run, and how every second really does matter performance-wise in meeting their metrics. I'm really interested in process engineering and sustainability, and I like problem solving and being able to solve a different problem every single day. My vision is to go straight into industry after finishing university in a job where I can grow and continue to learn new things and gain experiences internally.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Lorelei
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think my key factor is always remembering that other people are struggling, that you're not alone. Even in classwork and stuff, if you find something hard, it's very likely that everybody else finds something hard as well. So I always make sure to remain open to my other classmates and remember that my professors and the TAs are all here to help me, and even my other classmates as well. I never feel bad about asking a question. Yes, someone may say no, but there's always a chance that they may say yes, so I always take that chance and that risk to get results. People are more likely to want to help you than you think.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say reach out to as many people as possible, because chemical engineering is such a broad field. You can go into food, you can go into pharmaceuticals, even oil. I think the best part of chemical engineering, and also the worst, is that it is so broad. So before you settle on anything, make sure to see how other people are in their roles, what they like best, what their work-life balance is, and use that information to make an informed decision. It's important to explore all the different directions you can take before committing to one path.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think staying true to myself and what my goals are, and not letting that get run over, is most important to me. At Northwestern, pressure is often high and people are often trying to do more. There's nothing wrong with doing more, but I focus on knowing what my capabilities are and sticking true to what my interests are in order to better myself. I get involved in as many things as I can so I can always know exactly what I want in life or what I'm looking for, so then I can make accurate and good decisions for later on. I also value taking opportunities, not settling, and always opening the door to discover new things. I went to school out of state, and even when I'm out of state, I'm always open to trying new things and experiencing as many things as possible.
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