Her Story
About Samantha
Samantha Brown serves as a senior project engineer in a naval power systems group, focusing on power systems for nuclear submarines. She graduated with her bachelor's degree in 2016 and master's degree in 2017, accumulating nearly 10 years of experience in engineering. Her path includes internships and work as a jet engine designer at Pratt and Whitney, followed by a role as a warehouse designer at Target in 2020, and then moving into project engineering. Samantha has a strong commitment to STEM mentorship, having conducted outreach to high schools and middle schools for over a decade and founded two STEM events reaching hundreds of students in Connecticut. She previously served as an adjunct professor. She attributes her success to the people around her, building strong relationships, maintaining a sense of humor, and leading from behind to support her team. Her values emphasize giving back to the community and staying curious by listening and asking questions.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Samantha
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the people around me and building strong relationships. Everyone else makes the difference when you're working on anything. Having fun and keeping a sense of humor is also key, especially on tough days when debugging problems in engineering. Connecting with your people and laughing through the challenges makes it all worthwhile.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice is to always listen and ask questions, to stay curious and not be afraid to be the dumb person in the room. Get your master's degree as early as possible. Put yourself out there, ask a lot of questions, and be yourself.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Make friends and connections with other women, and men too. Get your master's degree early. Put yourself out there, ask a lot of questions, and be yourself. Don't do something that's not you.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
There's a lot of opportunities in leveraging AI to develop technical advances faster, but also risks involved. The difficulty is becoming less of a world where people are prioritized. We should use AI as a tool and not shy away from people's monitoring of AI, as opposed to letting AI call the shots. It's an amazing tool that can be used in any engineering field.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Giving back to your community is really important. Just trying to do your best every day to meet whatever faces you. Leading from behind and doing everything you can to make sure your team is taken care of. Humor is very important too.
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