Interview: Diana Iracheta, Manufacturing Engineer, Content Creator, Writer, & Women-in-STEM advocate

By Angela Tai

You’re currently working as a Manufacturing Engineer for Methode Electronics. What inspired you to become an engineer?

I think my passion for finding out how things work was what fueled my passion initially. I’m always pulling things apart and I can’t sit still; to this day, I’m still always trying to figure out how things work. It wasn’t until I took my first physics class in high school that I really enjoyed it even though it was very challenging. I went into college as a physics major and then I figured out what STEM careers were and saw those careers as an option. Mechanical engineering was more of a way for me to connect and integrate problem solving and critical thinking.  This is what pushed me into mechanical engineering, that’s why I’m always solving a new problem, even if it’s not engineering-related. 

What are your thoughts on diversity in the tech industry? What can we do to improve the turnout rate of women and people of color in tech? 

Both of the places where I had internships and where I work now is very diverse and I’m so happy to see that diversity and that we’re all able to work very well together. Sometimes, I wonder if they hire because of the fact that someone is simply a woman or because they’re young. For a while, I wondered if they hired me because I’m a hard worker or for diversity purposes. There’s lots of opportunities for minorities and women in STEM but there are untold things that go on in the workplace that make you feel like you still don’t fully belong there. 

We’re huge fans of your collaboration videos on Youtube as they relate to being a female and a Latina in engineering. There have been several discussions about how companies and organizations appropriate a culture when it’s convenient or monetarily driven. What should organizations do to truly come across as authentic in the fight against discrinimation in the workforce? 

Even with females, there’s a lot of things that still aren’t there. Yes, you’re hiring women but what are you doing to change the work environment so that these women are comfortable? I don’t have a paid maternity leave and that’s a big part of being a female. I want them to care about me and have it not necessarily be about how much work I’m giving them. There’s still a lot of things that need to change. 

On your website, you include several resources for minorities in STEM. Who has served as a role model in your path to a STEM focused education and career?

My dad is an engineer and my mom is an interior designer. My dad actually studied in Mexico and started his career as an engineer; he eventually got a job at an international company and then he got a job in the US. So, just seeing that growth and seeing the things you can do with an engineering degree was really important to me; I was always lucky to have female role models in STEM. Seeing those women in senior roles was encouraging - knowing that I could do it too and be just as successful. I did five years in total and I had a female professor who was the only professor in the Mechanical Engineering department. She had a partner who was also an Engineering Professor; this woman was having kids and seeing that she could have that successful career while also having a life was very inspiring to me. 

I know you mentioned in one of your Instagram posts that you missed your old cubicle and you also revealed that you were feeling incredibly anxious (like  a lot of us) because there’s so much uncertainty in the world right now. How have you learned to adjust and adapt to your new reality? 

Yeah, for me, I still have to go to work everyday. Most of us were moved around so we’re in the office but it’s really lonely and we’re separated from each other. My parents were out of the country and I was really worried about them. Mentally, I wasn’t okay for a little while. It was my first year working and I was so confused with everything going on in the world. It was definitely an adjustment and people are slowly starting to come back to the office. I am happy that I am able to go to work and that I’m not working out of an office in my home everyday. For a while, there was nobody to talk to and tell them that I really wasn’t okay. I’m doing much better now. 

We love your merchandise on Etsy! You previously mentioned that you’re always trying to push your boundaries as a professional. In a sense, was this one of your projects that was considered “outside” of your realm? Which shirts and/or products are the most popular? 

It was definitely something outside of my comfort zone! Everything that has to do with ‘Latina Engineer’ (@latina_engineer) is outside of my comfort zone but now it’s easier for me to just throw myself into situations where I’m uncomfortable. The Etsy shop wasn’t something that I was very comfortable with but one day it just came to me. I made a sweater and a couple of products with ‘Latina Engineer’ on it and one specific Latina, who is now one of my mentors, reached out to me saying that she wanted to buy the stickers. So, then I decided to set up my Etsy shop and that’s how I launched it. I linked the shop to my website, now I’ve been launching more stuff but it has definitely been a learning process. It’s a new world, the most popular thing is the ‘ingenieria’ shirt. 

How do you find time to run your Etsy shop, maintain a blog, and be active on social media? 

It’s definitely a learning process, for a while, I would just write blog posts and it would take me about 30 minutes. But then I realized that I needed to make a schedule for everything, I put aside time for the Etsy shop orders, social channels, and my job. From Monday-Friday: I go to work, get home and eat, and then I immediately start working on ‘Latina Engineer.’ It is busy all the time and some of my friends badger me about taking a break. But if you do something you really like, it doesn’t feel like work. 

How do you keep your creativity juices flowing and have you ever been burnt out? 

Usually, I have one day a month where I just crash and sleep all day. There’s weeks where I don’t want to do anything and there’s other weeks where I’m feeling inspired. Sometimes, you feel the pressure that you may not be posting enough but I know that I need to take my time and not push myself too hard. There have been days where I haven’t posted anything because I wasn’t feeling motivated at all; it’s better to wait until I’m feeling a little better. 

In one of your articles on your blog posts, you write candidly about how you needed a friend during your time as an engineering student. Everything was male dominated which is one of the main reasons why you feel so strongly about empowering other women. What are some of the personal experiences that have influenced your thinking around gender and STEM, and have motivated you to get involved in being an advocate for change?

I felt lonely and didn’t have any other female friends in engineering. It was difficult, most of my friends from high school didn’t go to college and a lot of my peers wouldn’t interact with me in classes, I also know I didn’t reach out a whole lot. But through my Instagram, I met tons of Latinas in STEM and it’s really inspiring and motivating to me. We’re all educated and have very similar careers. I want everybody in engineering to feel that way, some of these girls migrated to the US around the same time as I did. I wish I had done this in college, it would have pushed me out of my comfort zone a lot earlier. 

When you immigrated to the US, what was your experience like?

It was challenging, kids weren’t nice to me when I immigrated here. I was twelve when I came here and spoke almost no English. And when I went back to Mexico, my close family and friends would think that we were too good to go back, especially since we moved to the US. I’ve been in the US for 12 years and Mexico for 12 years so it’s half and half now. I’ve learned to accept my identity. I’m a mixture of both and I don’t have to fit into a specific role. 

Since you’re very active across your social channels, we have to ask, are there any (YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, etc…) influencers out there who inspire you regularly?

Yeah, I did a video with Kat Echazarreta, another Latina Mexican in engineering. Looking at her and what she’s doing is all so inspiring. I made my page and met these engineering girls since they were popping up all over my feed. I was so sad that I didn’t get the chance to meet these girls during school but it’s great that I’ve been able to meet them post-grad. 

Which achievement do you look at and think “I’d love to go back in time and tell younger me that this was possible?”

Recently, I came to a point where I realized that I’m happy, I finished school and have a good job now so it’s a great feeling. I was so self-conscious about what I was doing in high school and the fact is, it didn’t matter after that. Now, I’m not focused on impressing anybody and I'm so passionate about STEM subjects. I have surrounded myself with people that I really care about and that’s something that I wish I would have done in high school. All of that stuff that I worried about in high school doesn’t matter now, I just have to focus on what I like. 

In one of your YouTube videos, you elaborated on the challenges that Latinas face in STEM. What has one of your greatest challenges been in work/education and how did you overcome it?

My biggest challenge was more in school, I felt like I didn’t fit in and it was more harsh from the male students. Once I got to work, it was more like everyone was a professional and people were much more respectful. Some people had it great in school and they fare poorly in the work world so it just depends for everybody. Later on, I’d love to get a minority or another young female engineer hired - I’d love to make that change. 

What is your best piece of advice for the Latinx community trying to pursue their dream?

To find what you’re passionate about - focus on that and fight hard for it. There’s people who will tell you that you won’t be able to do it. I set myself the goal of graduating in engineering; most of the time, I was afraid just to walk into the classroom, but I did it and I am so proud of it. Going into things that might scare you is ultimately what’s going to help you grow. 

What do you hope to accomplish in the next year?

With work, I know I’m a natural leader and I know that I would love to obtain a leadership position in engineering. I know that I wished I had had a female leader in engineering, I would love to help other Latina engineers get to where they need to be. I’m so proud of where I’m from so I do play around with the idea of potentially moving back to Mexico and living there. I would love to start a scholarship fund to help out other Latinas. I love knowing that I can make a change, even if it’s just one word that I can say to them, I want to leave a lasting impact on them.