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.
Vera Kalyanrama
Design Engineer @ Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)
Vera is an engineer that designs processors for laptops and computers. Her favorite part of her STEM career is problem solving with her team, and she is joining today us today to show the importance of increasing the number of Women In STEM.
What sparked your interest and made you want to volunteer with Girlstart?
I saw numerous examples of independent women around me while growing up – my mother and all the teachers at school being a few. That made me think – more than anything, I wanted a financially independent future for myself. If it helps, I wanted to set the same example for other young girls.
What words of encouragement would you share with girls who want to pursue STEM?
The STEM industry is an amazing place to be, to build things that change the world around you for good. If you trust you have what it takes, that’s really all you need. Don’t let someone else put a cap on your ability based on their personal experience.
Was there a specific person, program, or event that pushed you to your STEM career?
I saw that people in the STEM field were well respected and that got me motivated to get into this field, along the way I realized how much I loved doing this. In fact at one of my first, day long technical job interviews is when I realized the strong passion I had for this industry, and at the end of the interview, I remember thinking, this is exactly what I want to do and whether or not I get this job, I will find one in this field. Luckily, I did not have to look further, I got the job. Since then, I also did my graduate studies and now work in the semiconductor industry. It’s been a rewarding ride so far.
Why is confidence in STEM important for girls?
STEM is still pretty significantly dominated by men. It is easy to feel like an impostor just because you might be doing things differently. It is also important to know that pretty much any problem can be solved in many different ways and your way of solving it is unique. Confidence is hence importance to take us forward.
