Ayasha Faria wanted a career that isn’t commonly pursued by females in her native Bangladesh.
“Back home women are underrepresented group in the STEM workforce,” she said. “I actually drew inspiration from one of my male family members who happened to be an engineer. I found chemistry, physics and math enjoyable, and was fascinated by the idea of tapping into the core knowledge of those areas to help make meaningful differences on a larger scale.”
Trine University was an affordable option to earn the chemical engineering major she was seeking. She also liked Trine’s small class sizes, which gave her the opportunity to establish close relationships with other students and professors.
"I love the fact that I am able to work closely on (chemical) processes and constantly work with new technologies to improve them."- Ayasha Faria
She said one of the most important concepts she learned at Trine was the systematic approach to problem-solving, which she applies as a project manager at Proctor & Gamble (P&G).
“As engineers, we are taught to approach the identification and solution of a problem using the iterative processes in the engineering method,” she said. “This is particularly helpful for my current role, as the success of any project relies on the effective application of these methodologies to each step of the process.”
She also appreciated the opportunity to work in groups.
“I have to collaborate with people from multiple other departments to successfully complete a project,” she said.
After graduating from Trine, Ayasha joined an electroplating company, where she worked in the lab while gaining exposure to business operations. Today, she works at P&G’s Sacramento Chemicals location, supporting operations in manufacturing chemicals that end up in the company’s downstream product lines.
As a project manager, she is responsible for helping plan and execute key business unit projects, including aspects such as safety, quality, capital, cost and schedule.
“I have heard if you want to learn about any chemical processing units, work at an oil refinery. They have almost every chemical process you learn about in school and more,” she said. “Here at P&G chemicals, our operation mimics that of a refinery, and I love the fact that I am able to work closely on these processes and constantly work with new technologies to improve them.”
She said the chemical engineering foundation she received at Trine helped her understand many of the unit’s operations.
“I am happy that I am able to transfer this knowledge while working on different projects with different people and groups,” she said. “I would like to give a shout-out to all my professors, especially the professors in the chemical engineering department, for their valuable teaching and advice.”
