Role Model
There’s a growing gap between the nation’s demand for engineers and scientists and the pool of skilled talent to meet the demand. Kaitlin Perkins, a junior in biological engineering at NC State, says the way to convince more young people to study science and engineering is to engage them early. And she’s doing just that.
Perkins was recently named chair of pre-college programs for region II of the National Society of Black Engineers, a global professional organization. In that role, she oversees K-12 outreach in seven states. She also helps organize an outreach program for rural North Carolina students through the Caldwell Fellows, a leadership program funded by alumni donors.
32 NSF Graduate Research Fellowships
NC State students earned a record number of these awards in 2015-16.
“I never heard any of my teachers talk about engineering in elementary or high school,” Perkins says. “When I thought about engineering, I thought of a white male sitting at a desk or doing construction. I thought, ‘That’s not for me.’” She changed her mind after attending an open house on NC State’s Centennial Campus and participating in an overnight camp for minority engineering students. “Meeting other students broke down my preconceived notions,” she says. “Now I know you don’t have to fit into a particular box to succeed.”
