Growing up in India and working as a woman in the U.S.: A story of education, career, and challenges

Pinal is a woman who was born and raised in India for 19 years before moving to the United States. She has visited India five times since then and speaks several languages, including her native Gujarati, English, and Hindi.

Pinal's hometown is Vadodara, which means bunion tree, and is located in Gujarat which is known for its bunion trees. She explained that India has 28 states, and about 121 different languages. Although English is commonly spoken nowadays, Hindi is considered the national language. Pinal also mentioned that she took Sanskrit in school and knows a few words in Marathi, a language spoken in a neighboring state.

CHILDHOOD IN INDIA

She shared her experience of going to school in India in the interview. She described the school system as much harder in India, with a lot of homework and a heavy workload, There were no laptops for writing long essays which made her fingers hurt, sometimes leaving no time to play. The elementary school began either in the morning or afternoon and lasted for three to four hours. The full-day school started around 7:30 or 8:00 a.m. and ended at 3:30 p.m. There were no school buses in her school, and she had to ride a rickshaw with other kids, which was a fun experience. The rickshaw driver picked up the same kids every day, and they traveled to school together. Initially, Pinal lived in a city center, and the rickshaw they used was a pedal rickshaw. She shared a funny incident when she forgot her backpack in the rickshaw, and she had to chase the rickshaw all the way to get her bag.

Pinal is reminiscing about her childhood in the city of India where she lived with her family until she was five years old. Pinal remembers how exciting it was to live in the city, with festivals and activities happening all the time. She loved being surrounded by her cousins and other family members, who all lived close by. Pinal recalls how they used to play with water balloons and throw them at people passing by, which was great fun. However, when her family moved to a new house, she found it difficult to adjust because there was nothing going on in the new place. Pinal remembers that it was then that she started to ride her bicycle to school, which took her about half an hour. She played cricket with her friends and also enjoyed playing badminton. Although she missed her cousins, she was happy to have found new friends in her new community.

EDUCATION SYSTEM & CAREER PATHS

She discusses the education system in India and how it shapes the future of students. She reveals that in India there is a lot of competition to succeed which creates high expectations for children to excel in school. There is more importance on STEM-based career or Medical careers since it has a better future or outcomes in general. Pinal explains that lately English is now a more preferred language in schools, and with many different languages there is a focus on learning languages like Sanskrit and others. Overall, the education in India is very good and competitive, providing students with options or choices if they want to go abroad for studies. STEM and medical careers provide more options for going abroad, so that might be why people tend to lean more toward those career paths. Some challenges to science-based careers include the high level of competition and the stress of maintaining high grades. Overall, the interview sheds light on the challenges and opportunities faced by students in India and the choices they make to secure their futures.

Pinal's mother did not work, so her father's job provided a good standard of living for the family. The work culture in India has changed over time, with more people working longer hours, but Pinal's father was fortunate to have a job that allowed him to spend time with his family. She recalls how her father was pleased when she decided to study engineering in college, as it was a good field for job security. However, she notes that many women in her class did not continue with their engineering degrees after marriage. She believes that male dominance and difficulties within the field played a role in their decisions to switch majors. She shares that, in some ways, having fewer choices while picking an engineering major worked out for her because it led to less confusion and more certainty in her career path. She believes that it is beneficial to stick to a chosen path or degree until the end when starting a major. It is better to finish the requirements of one degree to cover the basics and then change direction later if needed, rather than keep changing paths every year.

WOMEN IN STEM

Pinal is now successful in the industry, despite the pressure and competition she faced as a student.

STEM-based careers are in focus due to the financial stability and opportunities they offer. Pinal described herself as a good student with good grades, but she was not focused at all on one career path. Throughout the school year, she was more interested in playing outdoors with friends and cousins instead of studying. She started to focus more in her high school years because the exams were very hard and competitive in order to get into good colleges. She recalls staying up all night studying for exams and barely getting one hour of sleep before critical exams. Getting through high school was very tough and stressful because of the grade requirements for colleges. Her goal was to get into good a college in town. Despite the challenges, Pinal emphasizes that as a student she was able to still enjoy life and pursue a career she was passionate about.

In our interview, Pinal also described her experience as a female engineering student in college. After high school, she enrolled in a good engineering school in Vadodara to pursue a mechanical engineering degree. Adjusting to a male-dominant college was not easy since out of 120 students in a class there were only four girls. She talked about the difficulties she faced in finding a comfortable space for herself in the college, as there was only one small room designated for women that was often neglected and unsanitary. Additionally, there was only one canteen/café for all the students, which was very crowded, so she did not want to go there in her first year of college. Despite these challenges, Pinal was grateful for the opportunity to study engineering for a nominal fee, which was offered to encourage more women to enter the field. Pinal's story sheds light on the difficulties that she faced as a woman in STEM and the lack of inclusive environments in the field.

Despite the challenges, Pinal has achieved great success in her field. She has worked as a mechanical engineer and designer in several different industries in the U.S., including sustainable energy, protective packaging, women's health instruments, and the world leader in the semiconductor industry. She also worked hard to further her education in engineering after coming to the U.S. Her valuable experience has paved the way for her leadership role, where she also enjoys mentoring and helping new and upcoming talent in her industry.

FINAL WORDS

Pinal's story is an inspiration to women in STEM everywhere. She overcame many challenges to achieve her goals, and she continues to be a role model for others. Her story also highlights the importance of creating inclusive environments for women in STEM. There is still much work to be done to break down gender stereotypes and create a more equitable field. However, Pinal's success shows that it is possible for women to thrive in STEM careers.