On February 16, 2024 STEP hosted Lunch with an Engineer at Edgecombe Community College in Tarboro. Around a dozen Edgecombe Early College students had the opportunity to meet engineers from Edwards Inc., Hitachi Astemo, Cummins RMEP, LS Cable & Systems, and Pfizer over pizza. Both students and engineers shared meaningful conversations and asked important questions regarding engineering careers. Students reflected on their time at the Lunch with an Engineer event through a brief interview.
Edgecombe Early College Sophomore, Dani Ponce, shares her enriching experience: “Lunch with an Engineer was a great experience that provided students with a clearer view of different local engineering careers they might want to pursue. I had a great time learning directly from local engineers!”
Antonia Vital, an Edgecombe Early College Junior, also expresses her thoughts on Lunch with an Engineer:“Honestly, knowing that engineers aren’t like mythical unicorns who are perfect every time about everything was really relieving. Hearing some of the engineers talk about human things like how to deal with failure, watching YouTube tutorials, not knowing how their life was going to go in college really made the whole prospect of a STEM-related career that much more within reach.”
Through Lunch with an Engineer, STEP acts as a connector between students and employers and promotes career exploration in the Twin-Counties.