Her Story
About Shuntel
I've always had an engineer's mind and have always been analytical. I remember just being a young girl and having an interest in taking things apart. When I got into high school, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I was in a club called DECA and initially applied to go to school as a business major. Last minute, something happened and I changed routes and applied to a different school in Atlanta, Georgia. My mom had spoke with someone who said I should go into the field of engineering, and that's where it all began. I enrolled as an engineer as a freshman year and have loved it ever since. Now I have 20 years of experience in product and quality engineering. Currently, I work at Lockheed Martin under the Missiles and Fire Controls Division, where we make sure that anything that goes out the door is in compliance, making sure all the I's are dotted and T's are crossed before anything is put into production. When events happen around the world, we get put on high alert because the government is continuing to protect us, and it's kind of exciting to be that close to what's going on.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Shuntel
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success throughout my career to just the foundation that I was brought up on. I grew up in New Jersey with a single mother and father figures in my life, but my father was not directly involved in my life. That drive within me comes from the fact that I was brought up with a solid foundation and a village around me, but I want more for my kids. I want them to bring it to the next level up. I was good, but I want them to be great, I want them to be better. Just wanting to continue to be a lasting impact for my children, my family, but also just bringing us all up together to a greater level as a whole.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say, do it even if you're scared. Do not be intimidated if you're the only one in the room. In my current role, I'm the only one in the room in a lot of scenarios. Growing up, I was kind of always the only one, the only Black cheerleader and only Black this, which is why that led me to an HBCU. Going from an HBCU to a PWI, it was a change because I went from being all of us to being the only one again. So, the biggest thing is do it scared. Don't be intimidated if you're the only one, and show up as your authentic self, it'll shine through. Even if you're being overlooked, and you feel like they don't notice me, someone will notice you. Just keep doing it anyway, and never give up. I think that's probably the biggest thing I can tell someone coming into the field. I'm not saying it's easy all the time, but I continue to push through.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Being faith-grounded is one of the things that really, really helps me. It's a challenge, not just with work, but work-life balance. I think just having a network around me, whether it be friends or family, like I call my uncle and he's been a pastor and we just talk about life. Reaching out to the ones that came before me, but also looking at some of the younger ones and seeing what their perspective is. I think that is what really keeps me grounded, and it's not easy all the time, but I feel like having that network or that village around you, and that village being as colorful as possible is what helps.
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