IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2016 - 62

Shehadeh-Grant was introduced to
the sport of cycling with a hand-powered
bicycle at the Kennedy Krieger Institute
at Johns Hopkins, and she loves it. It
gives her a sense of normalcy and a feeling of freedom since she is not bound to a
chair and can move around and be active.
She completed her first and second
handcycling marathons in Baltimore
and New Jersey in 2014. Her third marathon, in Baltimore in 2016, was as a
member of the Kennedy Krieger team
raising funds for spinal cord injury
research. In 2015, Shehadeh-Grant completed a 5k walk with her walker, which
she says takes a long time but feels terrific when she passes the finish line.

New Horizons
"I was interested in a new job at AlcaShehadeh-Grant's handcycling 5k race
in Baltimore in 2015.
tel/Lucent and hosted an optical talk at
an IEEE conference where I was chairting diodes using Raspberry Pi, and
ing the IEEE Women in Engineerpresents them to high school students
ing (WIE) New Jersey Coast Section,"
who attend the academy. Also at the
Shehadeh-Grant explains. "A hiring
IEEE Robot Challenge, which features
manager attended and suggested that I
high school students who build and
apply for an opening for a system engirace robots, Shehadeh-Grant has been
neer at Nokia. Because of my physical
a judge for oral presentations, written
limitations, the job was perfect-it let
reports, and the robot racing competime work from home. I'm enjoying it.
tions themselves.
Life is a balancing act-work, married, raising two children, and health
issues. My ambition has not vanished.
For Future Engineers
I'm enjoying the position and looking
Shehadeh-Grant says an engineering
forward to the future."
degree is good insurance when somePart of that future is continued
one becomes sick and has to work from
involvement with the IEEE. Shehadehhome. She never thought she'd be sick
or need to use a wheelchair, but now
Grant has been an IEEE Member since
she has accepted her situation and is
she was a student, but she wasn't active
thankful that her electrical engineering
back then. She began participating with
degree offers a way to be independent-
WIE when the New Jersey Section mannot totally, but at least intellectually
ager e-mailed her asking for volunand financially, which she says
teers. She enjoyed her first
is a good thing.
volunteer position as treaEngineering skills
surer and started climbEngineering
make you mobile, and
ing through the ranks.
skills make you
there's no need for
Some of her volwomen to be afraid of
unteer highlight s
mobile, and there's
that, Shehadeh-Grant
have been as a preno need for women
adds. She encourages
senter at the IEEE
to be afraid of that,
women to take risks,
M i n i - E n g i n e er i n g
Shehadeh-Grant
try things, and if someAcademy. Shehadehsays.
thing doesn't work, it
Grant prepares lessons
doesn't work-move on and
and activities on topics,
do something else. "My startup
such as controlling light-emit-

IEEE womEn In EngInEErIng magazInE

december 2016

didn't work, and in the end, something
else did," she admits.
She thinks that engineering in
technology sectors are good careers for
women who want to have a family. She
says it provides flexibility, allows women
to work from home, and is portable,
which are all good for balancing family
and work. Engineers don't have to be in
the lab or behind a computer screen all
the time in a traditional office setting.
There are many good companies in
telecommunications that will provide
that balance, Shehadeh-Grant adds.
Plus, with globalization, many software
engineers are in India, so, living in the
United States, it is possible to work in
the mornings with overseas colleagues
and have time to be with your kids in
the afternoons. "As long as the work
gets done," she says.
Information technology, marketing,
content development, web development,
and many types of engineering computer
jobs are very suitable for women who
want a flexible work arrangement. "I
work from home, and many other women
and men are lucky to do so," she says.
"If I were doing the same work as
before I got sick, I wouldn't be able to
work from home," she says. "I was supporting customers in the field, working in the lab, and traveling. I could
do it before I had kids but there are
many options for other engineering
functions suitable for women who are
taking care of a family or beginning
a new life. Go for it. This means don't
be afraid of failure. You will fail. That's
how we learn."
To future engineers, she says,
"Explore. Don't be afraid. When I first
went into engineering, I didn't know
what I was getting into. I thought I would
be building things or climbing on poles.
There are so many aspects to engineering-so many are interesting-you can
find some that fit your character. There
are many things to do out in the field if
you don't like being indoors. You don't
have to be stuck inside an office if you
don't want to."
-Debbie Sniderman

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2016