So today I had a fantastic time in my Rock Mechanics lab, and I just want to scream to the world that I love Mining and Minerals Engineering, I love machines, and I love rocks! Being in a new major last semester was good, but I wasn't very excited about some of the coursework. However, I am enjoying this semester so far (even though I am only in the second week). Most of my classes last semester were very theoretical and I disliked the fact that I was not very hands-on with a lot of my classes, but one (Geology lab). One of the reasons why I decided to become an engineer is because I like doing practical work and being very hands-on, and I felt that engineering was definitely an appropriate path for me. But of late (meaning the past semesters), I've done less labs of my interest and more writing and I started losing my love for practical engineering.
BUT, I am glad to say that I am beginning to get my love for engineering again and my first lab work today definitely had something to do with it. Before going to the class, I was very tired because my day with classes started really early and I had already had 5 classes and they were all back-to-back, so I was not very excited to go to a 3-hour lab class. But to my wonderful surprise, reasons arose that made me wake up and get my excitement of being a mining and minerals engineering student. The purpose of today's lecture was to learn how to cut rock samples with the rock saw, polish the rocks to make them have smooth edges, measuring the lengths and diameters, and also finding RDQs. All the measuring was fun, but I was very happy when the *TA took us on a tour and asked if we will like to use the machines, and I gladly volunteered. He taught me how to use the rock saw safely with goggles and earplugs and also to be attentive not to cut off my fingers, how to polish my rock and test the level of smoothness.
Using the saw reminded me of my technology class that I had in 9th grade with one of my favorite teachers and mentors in the whole world. It just reminded me of why I decided to pursue engineering as a hobby and possible career, which is because of the hands-on work. This technology class was the deciding factor of my passion for engineering, and I had a wonderful teacher that made a great impact of me; he's the best. Also, it reminded me of the days I was involved with my Robotics Competition Team in high school, built robots and traveled to several locations for competitions with schools around the world. It was a great feeling to be using the big machines again, getting wet and dirty. As weird as it may sound, I felt pretty accomplished after I created a product out of my rock even though it was a small sample.
There are 14 people in my lab section with two girls, and I was the only girl in my group. Initially, the boys in my group were hesitant to mess with the rocks but with the opportunity of cutting the rocks that the TA presented, I just could not resist myself but to do it. As much as I get excitement from my major, as an individual and an engineer, I am always alert about being safe so I made sure I was following the proper steps. I have really small ears and so are the holes, so I notified the TA that the ear plugs wouldn't stay stuck in my ears; some of the boys were laughing at me and said that I need to stop acting like a girl; without being offended by it, I told them that yes I am a girl and an engineer and I am very cognizant that it's all about safety first, so if I am teased for being safe then that is all right with me.
So my advice today to you reading this is to follow your dreams and ambitions. There are times that you will be doing things and preliminary work that you do not enjoy but as long as the long-term goal is your dream, then it is worth it. I had to take some not-so-fun classes just to get to these fun classes, and the knowledge I gained in those previous classes have been beneficial to me in being a better student in the current classes. Also, do not pretend you know it all and shy away from learning new things because it will only hurt you in times to come; there were some calculations that I struggled with today in my lab but I put aside my pride and notified my group members that I did not know how to do it (even though one of them laughed at me), and by the end of class I was proficient in doing the calculations and reading the scales.
To my girls and women in engineering, be spontaneous and do things that make you comfortable. It's okay to be cautious whether you're teased for it or not. Do not be afraid to get dirty, wet, break a nail, and have fun, because you are only cheating yourself from all the fun in engineering and technology. Engineering and **STEM as a whole is exciting, so make the best out of every moment!
*TA: teacher's assistant
**STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
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