When Paige Giraldo, MITES Saturdays ‘19, first joined MITES Saturdays, she was convinced her future lay in aerospace engineering. “I was dead set on being an aeroastro engineer,” she recalls. “I was like, ‘There’s no other goal; NASA’s the only place I could work.’” But sometimes the most meaningful journeys aren’t the ones we initially envision for ourselves.
During her college application process, one question changed everything: “What’s a challenge in the world that you want to see fixed, and how do you think you can do that?” This prompted Paige to reflect on her experiences growing up in coastal communities, where she witnessed firsthand the impact of coastal flooding. While her love for aerospace remained, she discovered a new calling in civil engineering, specifically in coastal and flood resilience.
The transition wasn’t without its challenges. Entering the field of civil engineering, Paige found herself surrounded by peers who came from families deeply rooted in the industry. “Most of the people in my class were children of general contractors or civil engineers—while I had no prior background,” she shares. However, her experience with MITES had equipped her with the resilience to overcome these obstacles.
“I have to give MITES a lot of credit for giving me sort of resiliency against impostor syndrome,” Paige explains. “I came from a middle school that is now closed down because it was so poorly managed. Before MITES, I didn’t know what resources were available to me or that I fit into the STEM sphere. The program gave me confidence and a strong foundation to get to where I am today.”
Today, Paige is pursuing graduate studies at UMass Lowell while working at Nobis Engineering, where she contributes to offshore wind energy projects and advocates for renewable energy initiatives. Her passion for the field shows in her eagerness to take on challenging projects, like investigating a rapidly failing slope caused by river erosion in rural Connecticut.
The values instilled during her time at MITES continue to influence her career choices. “Thanks to my experience with MITES, I wouldn’t want to work somewhere that doesn’t value people for who they are,” she says. “At MITES, they want to see what you love and what your skills are, and they want to work to get you somewhere that makes sense for you, where you’re doing something you love that you’re good at.”
Paige’s commitment to giving back is evident in how she uses her time. At Nobis, which provides paid volunteer hours, she dedicates her time to mentoring MITES students and advising the UMass Lowell Collegiate Wind Competition team. Even as one of the most junior staff members at her company, she finds herself in an environment that echoes the supportive atmosphere she experienced at MITES. “Here at Nobis, even though I’m technically one of the most junior persons on my team, my project managers have always been big on uplifting me and the junior staff.”
Paige’s journey from MITES student to successful engineering professional exemplifies how early STEM education and mentorship can shape not just careers, but values and aspirations. Her story shows that while our initial dreams may evolve, the foundation built through programs like MITES can help us discover and pursue even more meaningful paths.