RyKai Wright graduated from Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) with an Associate of Science degree in Engineering Technology - Mechanical and an additional Associate of Science degree in Mathematics and Science in May 2017. RyKai's main campus was South Campus; however, she also took classes at Allegheny, North, and Boyce campuses to complete honors credits through the Honors Program. After graduating from CCAC, she transferred to Penn State Behrend, where she will be graduating in August 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. 

How did you choose your major? What motivated you to choose that field/profession? 
My mom informed me about the Bureau Labor of Statistics website (bls.gov), and told me to check out their student resources section to help me choose my major. Since I was always a great math student throughout middle school and high school, I looked at the different career fields that involved math–and that is how I came upon engineering. After further research, learning more about what engineers do, I chose to be a Mechanical Engineer. Learning that engineering is a male-dominated field with fewer minorities motivated me even more to move forward in the profession, because I believe that is important to have a more diverse representation of not only women in engineering, but more specifically, women of color.

RyKai receiving her Proclamation at the Allegheny County Council

What did you enjoy about attending CCAC? Any memorable moment to share? 
The most memorable moments of all for me was being selected as one of six students nationally as an Achieving the Dream (ATD) 2017 DREAM Scholar, where I attended the annual conference, which was held in February 2017 in San Francisco, CA. In February 2019, ATD invited me back to the conference, as well as other alumni DREAM Scholars, to highlight us and to introduce the 2019 DREAM Scholars in Long Beach, CA. Another memorable moment for me was receiving a proclamation from the Allegheny County Council on April 19, 2017, and delivering the student commencement speech for my graduating class in May 2017.

RyKai speaking on stage at the ATD conference

How involved were you at CCAC? Did you study abroad? Did you have internships or Co-Ops? Clinicals and/or practicums? Were you a part of any clubs, sports, or extracurriculars? 
I enjoyed my campus involvement more than ever. I was a part of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society as Co-President of my chapter, Alpha Iota Eta, at the South Campus. In addition, the Honors Program at South Campus where I served as an Honors Ambassador, and the Ambassador Program at Allegheny Campus. I grew a lot as a leader from the various team building and leadership trip opportunities that were provided through my previous leadership roles on campus. 

RyKai at the annual PTK Convention

I was also one of the students who had the opportunity to study abroad, and attend the India trip with the Honors Program in January 2018, where I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to visit New Delhi, Dharamshala, and Agra. I loved that we fundraised for different organizations and were able to visit them once we arrived in India to present them with the funds we raised to help donate to their cause.

RyKai reading to Tibetan Children in India during her Study Abroad Experience

Did any of these experiences lead you into realizing your passions for work and career? 
My leadership and volunteer experience encouraged me to want to reach higher into my career by taking on leadership/management roles and doing outreach to educate, encourage, and inspire women of color to dive into STEM-related fields.

What (transferable) skills did you gain that you could take into a workplace? 
Some of the skills I gained that I still use are Autodesk Inventor software, leadership, working in teams, and public speaking.

RyKai speaking at graduation

What are you hoping to do next? What would you like to do professionally? 
I will be graduating from Penn State University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in August 2020. Afterwards, I plan on starting an entry-level engineering position that consists of doing design work, because from my experience that is what I enjoy the most–and I am always anxious to see my designs once they are finally manufactured. I have not selected a specific field I want to use my degree in yet; I am open and weighing my options.

How do you manage stress (most especially during these uncertain times)? 
I have to create a balance for myself to try and avoid or deal with stress. I like to listen to music either between or during study sessions, and sometimes just having my TV on while I do homework helps me as well, which I have learned may be strange to some people because typically people need complete silence to study; however, I am the opposite. Having either some music or the TV on keeps me going to get through studying for really tough classes.

What do you want prospective college students to know—what advice do you have for them? 
One of the biggest things I would say for incoming college students is to make sure that you have good time management skills because that is an absolute MUST! Do not procrastinate to get work done, because it is terrible having to rush to complete an assignment at the last minute. Try and stay as organized as much as possible, and do not be scared to ask for help whether it is from your professor, peers, or a tutor.

Who inspires you and why? Do you have any mentors or people of influence in your life? 
Katherine Johnson who was a mathematician, also known as "the human computer," from the 2016 movie, "Hidden Figures," inspired me, as well as all women of color pioneers who made careers out of STEM-related fields. I applaud all women who came before me and broke down barriers that gave more women the choice and opportunity to be involved in STEM. 

The person of influence in my life is Latasha Wilson-Batch, Executive Director of the non-profit foundation, Best of the Batch Foundation, located in Homestead, PA. I worked with her and Best of the Batch Foundation as a Program Intern and later became the Volunteer Coordinator for 5 years since I graduated from high school in 2014, where I was a previous scholarship award recipient. Throughout the entirety of my college education, Latasha has demonstrated how much she believed in me and has always encouraged and motivated me to reach higher, even if I sometimes doubted myself. She has supported me through so much to help me reach my academic and professional goals, and I could not imagine what I would have done without her guidance.

RyKai with a group of the Best of the Batch Foundation

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Stasia Lopez is the Global Education Editor for Wandering Educators and is also a Director of Career Services at the Community College of Allegheny County. She graduated with her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Western Michigan University in 2013 and earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Robert Morris University. Stasia is passionate about international education, travel, college to career topics and loves working on a college campus. She’s lived in four different U.S. states (Florida, Michigan, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania) and also studied and lived abroad in Rome, Italy. Stasia lives in the Pittsburgh area with her husband, Fernando, precious daughter, Maya, and playful kitty-cat Zorro.

All photos courtesy and copyright RyKai Wright