Issue link: https://industrialengineer.epubxp.com/i/826827
58 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine the institute the institute Keeping pace with IISE Chemistry led Nicole Ortiz into industrial engineering. IISE's winner for the 2017 DiscoverE New Faces of En- gineering had a chemistry teacher in her high school in Puerto Rico. The teacher, keen to encourage the bright young student to hone her impressive math and science skills, told Ortiz she should pursue chemical engineering in college. But after some in- vestigation at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, Ortiz stumbled onto industrial engineering. "The first time I took classes I knew that was the profession that I wanted to have," Ortiz said, noting that industrial engineers work with people and management. "You have more leadership, and you manage projects and you motivate people," Ortiz said. "I am really, really social, and I am a leader all the time. So industrial engineering made a better fit for me because I will be working with people more than if I was a chemical engineer." The DiscoverE New Faces program recognizes outstand- ing engineers age 30 or younger who have improved public welfare significantly. They are featured in an advertisement in E gi eeri g News-Record magazine and on the DiscoverE website. For more information about the program, visit www. discovere.org ewfaces. New Faces honorees serve as ambassadors for the profession, something Ortiz has years of experience with. She has been mentoring students for a while, including two who were close to failing the ninth grade. She became their tutor, meeting with them several times a week. She motivated them to con- tinue their schooling, and both children graduated. She said mentoring has changed her life, and she is very proud of her volunteer work. Now, she wants to visit schools and show students, particu- larly young girls, what industrial engineering is and how it can make the world a better place. She said the proportion of men to women in engineering programs is skewed toward the men, and she wants to change that and encourage more women to follow her footsteps and study industrial engineering. Ortiz currently is an operations engineer with Hewlett Packard, working with forecasting, inventory management and freight cost reduction. She plans to continue upgrading her skills and aspires to become a manager in five to 10 years. She is close to earning her master's degree in industrial engi- neering from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. "I want to keep learning about how everything works, not only my part of the work but the entire organization," she said. "I want to learn a little bit about everything so I can have a top-level vision of everything. That will definitely help me to be a manager and be a better leader in the future." Chemically suited for working with people New Face of Engineering Ortiz aims to recruit for the profession, move into management Nicole Ortiz, IISE's choice for this year's DiscoverE New Faces of Engineering, said her desire to work with people led her to industrial engineering.