Her Story
About Sherry
I've been working in design engineering for about 14 years, with a focus on traffic engineering and transportation infrastructure. My journey into this field has a deeply personal foundation - when I was very young, my father was in a car accident that changed our family's life. He was moved into a nursing home, and growing up with that experience created a heightened sensitivity to traffic safety and made me very aware of our infrastructure. I didn't even know traffic engineering was a profession or that people designed and analyzed traffic to make things better. I actually started out in nursing because I thought I had a caring heart, but I totally hated it - biology was my worst subject. After some deep soul-searching and conversations with family, I realized math and physics came really easy to me, so I took more engineering courses. I volunteered at construction sites and discovered civil engineering, and it was eye-opening to learn that infrastructure is designed with intention. I found my place in the small subset of civil engineers who become traffic engineers, focusing on traffic safety, capacity, and flow. Living adjacent to Manhattan, one of the most congested cities in the world, I get to work on fascinating challenges like how to get 6 million people to commute into the city every day. I'm a first in my family to go to college and get a degree, which makes this work even more meaningful. My father passed before I could really showcase what I had accomplished on his behalf, but I carry that motivation with me. I've let my career unfold naturally - I never close the door on opportunities, and if an opportunity or person wants to leave, I let them go. Doing good work, being consistent, and making good relationships in the industry has really opened up and progressed my career. I'm so grateful for the relationships I've made because there are a lot of women and men who have opened doors for me. Recently, I had the incredible experience of speaking on the same panel as Polly Trottenberg, the former New York City DOT Commissioner who also served in the Biden administration - I was so nervous and geeking out because she's so knowledgeable and giving. After 14 years, I know I still have so much more to learn, and I'm humbled every day by the opportunities I get.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sherry
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say part of my success is me working hard, but I definitely have to say I'm so grateful for the relationships that I've made. There are a lot of women and men who have opened the door for me, especially as a first in my family to go to college and get a degree. My father, who was ill, had been a big motivator, even though he passed before I got to really showcase what I had done on his behalf. I've let my career kind of unfold as I went - I never really closed the door on any opportunity. If an opportunity or person wants to leave, I let them go and don't hold back. Doing good work, being consistent, and making good relationships in the industry has really opened up and progressed my career. Building rapport and being a good person has taken me a long way.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received was to give the benefit of the doubt. When I entered the industry, there was some sensitivity about being marginalized as a woman, but the advice that really stuck with me was to give the benefit of the doubt and build relationships regardless of gender - build relationships with women and men. When something happens where you feel marginalized, give the benefit of the doubt. I'd like to believe that most of mankind don't have the intent to be malicious. When you feel like your voice is unheard or you're marginalized, there's obviously a certain extent and it's all contextual, but give the benefit of the doubt, and when you give that, you get that in return. Relationships really propel your career. Of course, doing good work is important, but building rapport, being a good person, and giving the benefit of the doubt - not turning a blind eye, but recognizing that people make mistakes and we all make mistakes - not holding someone for one or two vices can really take you the long way. I didn't really understand it at the time when it was given to me very early in my career, but the more I progress, I feel like I resonate with that. We all kind of fall short occasionally, so don't hold it against everybody every time. I give this advice to the interns and junior staff now, and they have glossed eyes and I'm like, you'll get there.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Outside of giving the benefit of the doubt and being open to relationships of all types, I would say just persevere - stick it out. I feel like the real winners are the ones that stick it out and persevere and endure when things get tough. You could get to the top of whatever career path or industry you're in, but it's really difficult to maintain. The clear winners are the ones that stick it out, they stay, and whatever comes their way, they see it through. I've noticed that a lot of new interns or junior staff, when small pushback or constructive criticism comes their way, they shut down, and it hurts - it lasts. I could see it hurt. I've made an intern cry without that intention. So I always tell them to persevere, stick it out. There's going to be a lot of people that provide constructive criticism, there are going to be challenges - the political climate could change, whatever transportation projects you're currently working on might get shelved by one politician's decision any minute. Don't let that get to you. Persevere, ride it out. That's kind of been my biggest mantra for women in my group.
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