A little over a year ago, I was standing on stage in Nashville, Tennessee ready to deliver the keynote address at the 2015 Society for Women Engineers national conference. As with every other conference that I agree to participate in, I spent a lot of time thinking about the message I wanted to impart. However, standing on that stage in the heart of Music City, I found myself almost mesmerized by the view. From my vantage point, I looked out upon a jam-packed ballroom brimming with female engineers, both practicing and aspiring, and knowing that thousands more were watching online from the comfort of their dorm rooms and cubicles. It was a rare, beautiful and inspirational sight. After my address, I stopped to talk to a few of these talented young women, and got to hear about why they chose to pursue engineering, the challenges facing female undergrads today and some of their hopes for the future. I even met a contingent of engineering majors from my alma mater, Penn State.

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