Why are you involved with IGNITE Worldwide?
When I was in high school, I was passionate about math and science; however, my school was severely underfunded and didn’t have advanced STEM classes or clubs. Yet, I still found myself curious about making STEM a career. I brought up my interest in pursuing engineering in college to a teacher and they told me I’d be better suited for education and that my personality didn’t fit that of an engineer. Not knowing any engineers or STEM professionals, this left me feeling lost. Was I truly not “fit” for engineering or another STEM career or was my teacher wrong? Fortunately, I was able to attend a camp my junior year of high school that was focused on exploring careers in engineering. That camp solidified my decision. I was going to be an engineer.
I tell this story because I wish my high school would’ve had an IGNITE club. IGNITE is helping to break down the stereotypes of STEM careers by showing girls what STEM professionals look and sound like. These role models show students that there’s no one personality, skillset, etc. that is required to be a STEM professional. Students are discouraged every day (especially girls and non-binary individuals) from pursuing STEM, and if sharing my story convinces one of them that STEM is worth pursuing then all of my struggles will have been worth it. I want to breakdown barriers for the next generation and IGNITE allows me to do so while being surrounded by other inspiring people.
How has IGNITE Worldwide inspired you?
IGNITE’s mission is incredibly inspiring to me. I’m a huge advocate for STEM careers and absolutely love seeing students light up at the various events when they realize what is possible. What inspires me most though are the amazing women that I get to volunteer alongside of. Their stories inspire me to work harder, be a better leader, mentor more girls and overall push for a better tomorrow for all.
What would you like our wider community to know about IGNITE Worldwide?
IGNITE is a fierce advocate for getting more girls and non-binary students into STEM careers. They are working everyday to bring the most diverse field of candidates into the STEM landscape. Supporting IGNITE means that you’re helping students meet their full potential and see past the barriers that they face. Volunteering at an IGNITE event or donating could be the difference between a student giving up on STEM or going for it. Seeing the next generation rise to challenges is incredibly rewarding and all it takes is a bit of your time.
Bio:
Katelyn Lichte is currently a Production Engineer at Corteva Agriscience. In her role, she works at a chemical manufacturing facility in Pittsburg, CA and is responsible for day to day operations of one of the units. She is passionate about agriculture and the intersection between public opinion, science and policy and spends some of her free time advocating for policy changes at the local, state and federal levels. She also serves as the Women’s Inclusion Network Chair for her site.
She is an active member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), most recently holding the 2020-2021 Society Outreach Committee Chair role. In this position, Katelyn has helped shape SWE’s outreach strategy in regards to COVID-19, strategic partnerships and training and development of members. Her passion is STEM outreach and education and spends most of her free time encouraging students to pursue STEM and uplifting women in the workplace.
In 2019, Katelyn was recognized by Seed World Magazine as one of the Seed Industry’s Top 20 Under 30 Future Leaders in the Industry. She was also selected in 2020 for the SWE WE Local New ELiTE Award, which honors women engineers who have been actively engaged in engineering and the community in the first 10 years of their careers.
Katelyn graduated in 2017 from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. She also enjoys playing sports, spending time with her Golden Retriever and German Shepherd, and reading.