Women in Engineering
Pioneering a pathway to diversity Aimee Kalnoskas • Contributing Editor
As one of the only women in her highly specialized field as a process design engineer, a South African immigrant, woman of color, and mother of four boys, Sibongile Manthata has had more than her fair share of challenges in her career. And her entre into engineering was more accidental than intentional. “I heard about engineering but knew very little about it,” she said. “Fortunately, one of my friend’s sisters was a new chemical engineer, and I thought I would do well in it.” With that in mind and encouraged by the many engineering bursaries (scholarships) available in South Africa, she focused on keeping up her grades and applying for engineering school. The lack of family support only made her more determined to pursue an engineering education. “Were it not for the initial encouragement from my friend’s sister,” she noted, “I probably would not have applied to engineering school. My grandma’s husband even made it a point to say that engineering was only for men. This stigma helped motivate me to challenge myself and prove it wrong.” But inspiration and support did come once Sibongile got into engineering school. A female lecturer, Dr. Diane Hildebrandt, was the sole female professor in her school. Dr. Hildebrandt was well-recognized in her field and had received multiple awards for her work – yet another motivator for the budding engineer. “We get inspired seeing ourselves in the people we want to become,” Sibongile said. 130
October 2021 www.designworldonline.com
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10/15/21 9:55 AM
