STEM careers are historically male-dominated environments. While recent years have seen an increase of women in STEM fields, engineering consistently falls near the bottom of female participation. But Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing alumna Krystal Fowler is paving the way for the next generation of women and underrepresented groups in engineering.
“Women have dealt with not being taken seriously for years, but I think 2024 is the best time to become an engineer,” Fowler says. “Even though I am one of the younger people on my team and I’m a Black woman, people do take me seriously. We are finally getting treated equally.”
Fowler is a senior electromechanical engineer at Schneider Electric, an electrical sustainability company. She is responsible for Schneider’s line of low-voltage switchboards, which include quality audits and problem-solving.
“I don’t have one set day-to-day. Every day is different, and I never know what’s going to happen.” Fowler says.
The Greenville, South Carolina native graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2017 with a degree in mechanical engineering. She looks back fondly on that time, especially her connections with the Theta Tau engineering fraternity and the Carolina Marching Band. She worked with fellow students in study groups to successfully navigate the difficult engineering coursework. Fowler’s internships at Ford Motor Company and TE Connectivity also helped build her engineering knowledge and professional network.
As a first-generation college graduate, she relied on a group of mentors for advice and credits them with much of her success. Today, Fowler also mentors aspiring engineers - especially women and underrepresented groups.
“I would not be here if it wasn’t for my mentors,” Fowler says. “That’s why I’m so big on trying to give back. I know that someone else might need that same guidance too.”
Adrian Moreno-Manzo, Fowler’s manager at Schneider, is impressed with the progress she has made in the first two years of her role. Her position was previously held by an engineer with over 20 years of experience. Despite only being at the company for five years, Fowler has improved communication and organization within the company.
“She has made significant improvements since joining our team,” Moreno-Manzo says. “People have high expectations of this role, but Krystal has found a way to deal with these situations in a creative and pragmatic way.”
Fowler also created continuous thermal monitoring, a preventative maintenance tool for electrical and mechanical systems. The sensor tracks changes in temperature and humidity, which can cause overheating or other mechanical problems. A field service engineer is immediately notified of any changes so it can be fixed before it becomes a problem.
“It’s going to save downtime and money,” Fowler says. “I’ve been able to see that from the beginning all the way to the final plans.”
At Schneider Electric, Fowler is also an ambassador to the National Society of Black Engineers and the Society of Women Engineers. She organizes shadowing days for high school students and engineering interns and mentors’ robotics teams at local schools. Moreno-Manzo says she has played a big role in bringing young talent into the company.
“She’s a good ambassador of the culture. Krystal is one of those people that if you ask for help, she’ll do it,” Moreno-Manzo says.
While opportunities are increasing for women in STEM, there is still progress to be made. Fowler works every day to make things better for the next generation of women and underrepresented groups in engineering.
“The biggest thing we need is more female representation. There are lots of women in STEM, but we do need more visibility,” Fowler says. “In the next five-to-ten years, we’re going to be seeing a lot more women in engineering, and they’re going to be running stuff.”