Today Jai has the privilege of talking to Becky Meuller.

From the age of 10, Becky wanted to be a car crash test engineer. With an interest in math and science, she pursued college degrees in Mechanical Engineering. She received a bachelor’s from the University of Wisconsin and a master’s from Purdue University.

She landed a career-defining internship at General Motors when she was recognized for her leadership in a college extracurricular project on alternative fuels and car design. After graduation, her first job was at Transportation Research Center, a vehicle proving grounds and testing facility. Soon after, her dream of being a car crash test engineer came to fruition as she accepted a position at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety as a research engineer.

Since joining IIHS, she has led multiple teams to develop new car crash tests, presented research at international conferences, authored a dozen research papers, and periodically appears on tv, radio, and newsprint interviews as a crash test expert. Her personal mission is to share her story of successes and failures to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers to pursue their dreams.

Becky is someone who thinks ahead and plans accordingly, and a great example of the benefits that come from doing this. We talk about what it is like to know at such an early age what you want to know, the benefits and drawbacks. We also talk a lot about how to find mentors in the workplace. Becky graduated during another recession time after the 2008 crash. She shares her experience of finding a job during this time.

Becky's Linkedin Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckycgunn/

Jai's Linkedin Profile:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jolandi-gevers/

Website:

www.thegraduateatwork.com