Sandra Flores
Sandra Flores
 

Sandra Flores

HQ Network Planner @ Verizon
CO

Two Sentence Story

I was born in Bogota, Colombia, on a mid income family. My brother is a Gemologist and Business Administrator and my Sister is a Computer Scientist, I am the only engineer in the family and the oldest sibling. In 1994, I had the opportunity to attend training, for my work, in Germany but because I did not know English I wouldn't qualify, so I decided to take an immerse class in the US, while I was in the US I met the person who is my husband now and after much deliberation, I decided to quit my job, marry him and live in the US. My first job in the US was in engineering, I was hired within 4 months of arrival, all thanks to already having my Bachelors degree and, believe it or not, because I was bilingual, both skills open many doors to great jobs.! Twenty five years later, I have a great job in a big telecom company, a daughter that I adore and a hubby who is the love of my life.

Close Up

What I Do

I am responsible for the ideation, planning and deployment of new solutions or tools to control robocalling for our users.

Why STEM?

I dreamed on becoming an astrounaut,  astronauts typically need to be engineers so I chose Electrical Engineering as my major.

School Days

I attended school in Colombia, I have a BS in Electrical Engineering and a Masters in Engineering Management for National Technological University in the US.

My Day At Work

Requirements definition
Braistorming/discussing solution ideas with colleagues
Timelines planning
Business justifications
emails and conference calls

Best Part

Analyzing situations were solutions are needed and ideate what potential solutions we can create.
Deploying solutions and seeing them working

Proud Moments

My proudest moment occured in Brazil where my team and I deployed the first Nextel International system in Rio de Janeiro and made the first call.  Many months of time invested, planning, installing, programming and troubleshooting paid off when we were able to show the customer the system was working and we were able to make the first push to talk call from a cell phone.

Challenges

A major challenge has been to get the respect and credibility not only from my peers but from my customers.  There is always a time were you need to build your self confidence and reflect it on those you work with or work for so your ideas and contributions are valued which help you grow on your career.

My Family

I am married and have one daughter.
My extended family lives in Colombia.
My husband is from Texas and he is also an engineer,  my daughter is in college attending CU Boulder,  Major in Mechanical Engineering

Dreams and Goals

In the next 3 years I want to have my own engineering team, and be able to be the Subject Matter Expert in my area.  
In the next 10 years, I would like to start preparing for retirement,  but my retirement would not be not working, but rather open time to contribute more to get students engaged and determine to becoming engineers.  The US has a shortage of engineers and that gap is growing every year, other countries are taking the lead, we need to bring kids up to pair and help them overcome any apprehensions against engineering so they can succeed. 

Inspirations

My maternal grand mother always believed in me, she planted the seed on my that helped me to believe in my intellectual capabilities, it helped me to figure that I can do what ever I put my mind and focus on.

My Advice

If you think you like engineering, educate yourself on the different areas, engineering has so many options, try new thing while you are in high school to figure if that is what you like, for example,  try computer programing, try a circuits class or an architecture related class.  Take math, physics and calculus are the basics and key for engineering colleges.  Or if you like to protect the earth try environmental engineering.   My best advise is to do some research, talk to people on the field, attend webinars or events where you can get information. Narrow down your likes to 2-3 options then apply to college.

Hobbies

I love skiing,  something about being outdoors in the winter makes me forget the winter blues.  
I also play a bit of guitar, but need to practice more frequently

Volunteer Opportunities

I am willing to be contacted by educators for possible speaking engagements in schools or in after school programs or summer camps., I am willing to serve as a sponsor or coach for an engineering club or team., I am willing to be interviewed by interested students via email.

Engineering Careers

Computer Hardware Engineers

Engineering Career Fields

Computer

Areas Of Interest

Communications Computers