Girls In Tech

In celebration of Women’s History Month, Girls in Tech is offering the third in a series of interviews with leaders in the technology field. Today, we’re featuring Christina Wong from QinetiQ North America. Stay tuned for upcoming posts from Sophie Farrell, Google and Leena Rao, TechCrunch.

Oh, and Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Cheers,
The Boston GIT Team

Girls in Tech Celebrates Women’s History Month
5 Women, 9 Questions, One Mission – Promote and Share the Success of Women in the Tech Sector

1. Name, title and your current job and/or mission in life?
Christina Wong, Project Engineer at QinetiQ North America, LLC. I currently propose, invent, design and present engineering solutions for the government. I tell people I work on “James Bond-like toys.” My projects have included a deployable fire-proof cover for protecting houses against wildfires, a large net which traps small boats, and lightweight armor created from nets which defeats rocket-propelled grenades. I also help with business development through white paper and proposal writing efforts.

2. What’s the biggest mistake you’ve ever made and what did you learn from it that’s worth passing along to others?
I passed up a great opportunity to earn my Masters degree Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan. Instead, I stayed within my comfort zone and pursued my graduate degree at my undergraduate institution. My decision hasn’t ultimately affected my career success but it did make me realize that people can feel uncomfortable with the prospect of change and venturing into the unknown. Instead of succumbing to that fear by only considering and making “safe” choices, I now reduce my discomfort by acknowledging it and questioning it. I gain a better understanding of the situation by “doing my homework” and performing research. Then, armed with knowledge and perspective, I make decisions based on an understanding of all my choices and not only the ones I feel most comfortable with.

3. What’s your biggest success in the workplace?
Last year, I completed a project where I was an essential participant from very beginning through the finish. In writing the proposal, I was a key technical author. I proposed applying conventional knowledge and engineering in a completely new and creative manner to create a practical methodology. Due to my contribution to the proposal, we won the contract. For the next year, I lead a small team to invent a brand new methodology which may eventually be applied as a standard to help increase worker safety in a historically dangerous industry. Through my interaction with my customer, I gave several extremely well-received technical presentations. In addition, the customer invited me to present as a subject matter expert to large audiences of industry workers.

4. What’s your life or work motto?
Understand myself and do what’s right for me. Don’t shy away from challenging work or difficult decisions if that work or those decisions will move me closer to my goals.
5. What woman in history inspires you most and why?
I find Michelle Obama incredibly inspiring and a wonderful role model. She is able to balance many characteristics which women normally find challenging, including success, strength, individuality, family and femininity.

6. What piece of technology can you not live without?
I’m not going to even try to be clever with my answer here. It’s the internet age and I can’t live without it!

7. What tech trend are you following for 2010?
I’m paying attention to smart phones and how the market will develop. There’s a great amount of effort to leverage the new technology and I’m curious to see what people do with it.

8. What one piece of advice would you give the Girls in Tech of tomorrow?
You really have to know yourself in order to make the right choices for yourself. No one else will do it for you because the best person to take of yourself is yourself.

9. What three items do you always carry on you?
Something to read, my camera (I love taking photos) and my cell phone.