these are their stories...

Welcome

Cal Poly SLO women are taking over male dominated fields. From aerospace engineering to construction management, these women are starting to make their mark by obtaining impressive internships.

women in tech

Business administration junior Reiva Trio recently landed her dream internship at Adobe, headquartered in San Jose. She explained what landing a job in the tech industry meant to her and her family, “My mom she started crying. My mom she had to give up her dream of being a software engineer when she was younger cause we moved from the Phillipines to here and the man she was married to at the time had to fit women in roles.”

Reiva’s interest in Adobe stemmed from using their creative applications, but never even considered applying until the Fall Career Fair. “Adobe was there and I didn’t actually talk to them I was super scared there was like a huge line and I was like I have no idea what’s gonna make me stand out as opposed to these super awesome, bright, talented people that even had the courage to step in line”, she explained.

Currently, Reiva works as a student assistant at Career Services. Her position is centered around analyzing data for the annual graduate status report and helping students understand how far a degree at Cal Poly can take them.

“I think that Cal Poly also really provided me with a great family so it kind of taught me how to... balance work and play and have that sense of my colleagues aren’t just my colleagues they’re also like my family, my friends, people I invest and care about”, she said.

Reiva’s boss at Career Services, Seth Igarta, was who advised her when she found herself at a loss with what to do professionally. “I asked him I don’t know what to do and he was like you just got to do something whether that’s going to career fairs, getting in touch with people, and so from the beginning of my third year I kinda hit the ground running”, she said.

Epsa Sharma, junior business administration student, works alongside Reiva at Career Services and will also be interning at Adobe this summer. “She [Reiva] always welcomes you with a warm smile and asks you how your day is and she also asks what you are working on, and what your project is and if she can assist you in anyway. She’s [Reiva] personable and also very driven with what she is doing”, Sharma stated.

Reiva and Epsa are both looking forward to being apart of a company that is recognized for their diversity and inclusivity efforts. Reiva spoke on how they have recently achieved global gender pay parity, while Epsa described their “Adobe for All” campaign.

Business administration senior Sarah Pisani is a friend and peer mentor for Reiva. She provides her mentees with one on one help for a variety of needs including academics, goal setting and professional development. When speaking about Sarah, Reiva stated “She’s really well connected….she knows what it’s like to be a woman in the business industry and how hard that can be.”

“We talked a lot about being confident in yourself and going into the interview process is nothing really to be nervous about. It’s obviously a job you want but the people there just want to get to know you. She obviously has great experience so it’s just a matter of making that one on one connection”, Pisani said.

“All the good that I put in the world, like it’s just a position for me to extend that to perpetuate more that I can do. Because now I’m in a position where I can impact more people”, Trio concluded.

their experiences

All three women were asked the same question...

"What is it like working in a male-dominated field?"

1. Haley Fagerberg: Third Year, Ethnic Studies major pursuing a career in law

2. Olivia Zarling: Third Year, Agricultural Business major pursing a career in financial technology

3. Ellery Bohrmann: Third Year, Aerospace Engineer major pursuing a career in aerospace technology

Click on the images to hear responses (double-click to pause audio).

women in construction

Third year, Meredith Beckman, shares her experience in a predominantly male major and interning at one of the largest construction management companies in the nation.

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