Girlstart’s Women in STEM weekly series highlights various women who are making a difference in STEM. Be inspired as these incredible women describe how they became interested in their field, provide insight into a day in the life, and share learnings from their experiences.

Karina Hershberg

Technical Associate @ PAE Engineers

What would you like to tell girls who are interested in pursuing a STEM career?

Do it! Something I’ve loved about working in STEM is there are so many areas to work in. I went into STEM thinking I would work in space exploration and instead ended up working on sustainable design to preserve Earth’s environment. I love being in a career that is both interesting and impactful.

Was there a specific person, program, or event in your life that led you to your STEM career?

I saw a space shuttle launch when I was 15 and decided I wanted to work for NASA. Even though, I eventually decided to focus my engineering career on helping this planet, it was an interest in space exploration that initially motivated me to pursue an engineering degree. I also had great family support since my dad and brother are also engineers!

Briefly describe your career.

I work in sustainable building design and renewable energy systems.

What are your favorite things about your career?

I love working on problems that are interesting and impactful. Right now, buildings are a problem for the environment but I think that with innovative design and engineering, they can become part of the climate solution. By working to create sustainable, innovative solutions for the building industry, I am part of a larger community working towards solving the climate crisis.

What projects have you worked on?

I’ve led the electrical engineering design on four Living Building projects – the most sustainable building type in the world. The latest project is expected to be the largest of its kind in the world!

What is your greatest accomplishment?

One of my favorite career accomplishments so far has been helping to design the world’s largest Living Building!

What sparked your interest and made you want to volunteer with Girlstart? 

We need all the best minds working on solving the world’s environmental challenges. Women bring so much value to this work and I want to ensure girls are getting access to these career fields and are able to move past the historic barriers we’ve faced.

Why is confidence in STEM important for girls?

Unfortunately, women do still face barriers in STEM fields and the building industry is no exception. We bring great value to the field and deserve a seat at the table but sometimes we still have to fight for that seat. Carrying the confidence of knowing we are valuable contributors is sometimes needed to make sure our voice is here.

Karina is also a member of AstraFemina, a non-profit organization of women who are leaders in STEM fields, with a mission to Inspire Today’s Girls to Become Tomorrow’s STEM Stars by sharing their stories.