As part of International Women’s Day, we wanted to celebrate the amazing women working in STEM roles here at Belzona. As such, five of our female Technical Service Engineers have kindly shared their experiences of studying and working in STEM positions.
From Ms Meadows’ childhood spent helping her Dad with designing mechanical systems, to working with colleagues that Ms Manchoi describes as feeling ‘like family’, our Engineers tell us what inspired them to study engineering and what it’s like to work at Belzona.
Let’s Meet our Brilliant Belzona Women!
Ms Francine Meadows, Technical Service Engineer (based in the Miami Office)
BSE Mechanical Engineering, University of Taubate, Brazil
Why did you decide to study this subject?
My dad, (who’s also a Mechanical Engineer) was always my inspiration, personally and professionally. A big part of my childhood was spent by his side while he was designing mechanical systems and pieces (by hand at the time) and I would join in and do my ‘designs’ too. I gradually became increasingly interested about this profession, and the variety of areas I would be able to work in. Being very curious and creative as I am, I started to do some projects which led me to choose Mechanical Engineering as my major.
Yu Qian (Yulia), Technical Service Engineer (based in the China Office)
BEng. Mechanical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, China
What do you enjoy about your role at Belzona?
As a Technical Engineer, I spend a large amount of time providing technical support and training for our distributorship in the China region. I really enjoy running practical training sessions and providing advice on how to successfully apply Belzona systems. Once I’ve completed my training sessions, I often receive positive feedback from the attendees which gives me a great sense of achievement and pride in my profession.
Do you face any challenges within your role? How do you overcome these challenges?
My biggest challenge is staying up-to date with the latest Belzona technologies. Luckily, I receive lots of support from the Technical Teams in other regions, as well as access to Belzona online resources, which helps me to stay abreast of the latest developments. Thanks to this support, as well as plenty of on-site application experience, I am confident in the excellent level of service that I can offer to our distributorship in China.
Ms Suthaunma Yuenyonglertsawat (Petch), Technical Service Engineer (based in the Thailand office)
BEng Chemical Engineering, Prince of Songkla University, Thailand
MBA Operations Management, National Institute of Development Administration, Thailand
Why did you decide to study these subjects?
I have three siblings and all of them studied engineering and now work as Engineers. This allowed me to gain a thorough understanding of what the subject entails, as well as what the day-to-day life of an Engineer is like. From this experience, I knew that I would also enjoy studying this subject and working in this field so decided to pursue a career in engineering.
What do you enjoy about your role at Belzona?
I absolutely love my job at Belzona! It is a really friendly and collaborative place to work: whenever I have any issues or concerns, I know that I can always ask my colleagues for help, and vice versa.”
Ms Paola Chavez, Technical Service Engineer (based in the Miami office)
BSc Chemical Engineering, Florida State University, USA
What do you enjoy about your role at Belzona?
What I love about my role is being able to help Distributors and Consultants with any questions and doubts they may have. I always look forward to helping them and recommending the best Belzona solutions for their respective applications/projects, as well as providing training in the different systems we offer.
Do you face any challenges within your role? How do you overcome these challenges?
My biggest challenge is to perform my job and tasks better on an everyday basis. The way I overcome this is by demanding myself to give my absolute best, learning something new every day and putting it into practice for the benefit and growth of Belzona.
Ms Busaranya Manchoi (Pear), Technical Service Engineer (based in the Thailand office)
BSc Science and Textile Technology, Thammasat University, Thailand
MSc Applied Polymer Science and Textile Technology, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
Why did you decide to study this subject?
Polymers fascinate me, they are part of everything in our daily life: from our desk to computer parts, pens, telephones, clothes and even the polymeric technology we work with at Belzona. I wanted to explore the science of polymers more, so decided to study Polymer Science and Textile Technology at an undergraduate level and then, in order to advance my knowledge and expertise in this field, decided to undertake a Master’s Degree in this subject.
What is a typical day like at Belzona?
My colleagues both within the Technical Support Team and other departments are really nice to work with. They are all like family. We always help each other with suggestions and ideas so that we can continue to provide an excellent level of technical support.
Interested in a Career at Belzona?
Chloe Hirst, Senior Copywriter, Belzona Inc., Harrogate, UK.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloe-hirst-2b1a79211/
