Sonya Bird
Interview Posted By: Ashley Smith
1. Can you tell us a little about your background? i.e. Where you grew up, what education do you have, a summary of your resume, did you always want to do what you are doing now, when did you start to become interested in STEM, what internships/ volunteering
I grew up in North Carolina, and always excelled at Math and Science. When it came time to go to college, Engineering was a logical choice for me, and North Carolina State University was the obvious choice as it was the best public school in NC offering engineering. In high school, I was extremely active. I was a member of the Marching Band, and served as both section lead and Vice President of the band. I was extremely active in my church, and spoke or sang solos occasionally at church. I was on the Beta Club, National Honor Society, and the Math Team, and also served as a Youth representative to a town council committee. I definitely think being involved in whatever interested me helped me develop skills in dealing with people and with speaking in various situations. At NCSU, I was active in my dorm, organizing and participating in a number of community service projects. I also served as a freshman advisor, helping freshmen become comfortable with college life and assisting them throughout their challenging first year on campus. I served on a number of honor societies, and joined IEEE as a student member. I would encourage college students to get involved and look for ways to broaden their experiences.
2. What exactly IS your job? What do you do on a day to day basis?
Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) tests various products to safety and performance standards. (You can look for the UL mark of safety on many of the products in your home such as TVs and appliances). UL is also a leading developer of safety standards in the US. I was hired into the Standards department at UL where we develop and maintain the safety standards. More recently, my job has expended to an international focus, as UL works to harmonize requirements with the requirements in other countries. This is important from a safety perspective in promoting safe products in those countries It is also important for trade reasons, as common requirements can facilitate trade.
3. How does STEM relate to your job?How do you use the information you learned from your degree in your job?
When I was first hired, my job was technical in nature as I had to understand various technical concepts in determining the appropriate requirements. I used engineering principles on a near daily basis. But I quickly found that communication and “soft skills” were equally important. As my job at UL has expanded, these other skills have become even more important. My engineering background was critical in obtaining my job; but these other skills have been critical in my job advancement.
4. Have you faced any discrimination/ challenges being a woman in a stem field? If so, how did you deal with it? Do you have any advice for up and coming women in STEM?
DO NOT LET BEING A WOMAN HOLD YOU BACK. I think people who look for discrimination, find it. Those who work hard and never ever give an excuse will not be discriminated against. That said, I have worked with people (not for people) who have come in with certain assumptions. When dealing with someone like that, my advice is to be professional and responsible. Let your reputation pave the way.
5. What is the best and worst part of your job? What do you look forward to in your job on a day to day basis? What do you wish you could change?
The best part of my job is knowing that UL has done so much to make the world a safer place. I love knowing that my personal job has contributed to that mission of working for a safer world. I love working with people from all over the US and increasingly all over the world. The Standards community is a small community but I have a lot of colleagues who I call friends. The worst part of my job would be the overabundance of emails. I spend way too much time going through emails and responding! While emails help us all, they have in some cases become an obstacle to getting my job done! I travel a lot and with smart phones I am able to stay in touch w/ the office and my responsibilities, but this can make for long days while on the road!
6. How do you balance your work and personal life? Any secrets or advice you’d like to share?
I had my children very early (my son was born while I was in college and my daughter a few years after I started work). Balance was fairly easy then. As I have gotten older the scales have definitely shifted to where I spend more time on work and less on home life. I have started trying to manage things better by setting a time to go home. While I was in the habit of taking my laptop home to work at night I now leave it at work several nights a week. It is important to have time away from work!
7. What do you define success as?
To me, being successful means being able to do what makes you happy.
8. What is one personality trait that you think is universally important for a successful career?
Being respectful. Respect has many levels. Respect those you work for. Recognize that they are people. If you don’t understand why the company is going a certain way, respect your manager enough to ask him or her to explain, rather than talking to others and potentially making the matter worse. Respect your co-workers. You won’t always see eye-to-eye, but respect them enough to know that they are there doing their job, just as you are. Most importantly, Respect yourself – do what you know is right and build your reputation as one of honor.
9. Who was a mentor to you throughout your career? (can be more than one!) What did they teach you? How did they impact your life?
My primary mentor was actually my boss at UL. He taught me how to have fun while working hard, and how to build positive relationships even with those on competing teams.
10. What do you think is the best advice you've ever received ? What advice would you give your younger self if you had the chance? What’s one piece of advice you can pass on to us?
Advice I’d give to my younger self is to be more assertive. I think women sometimes have a hard time standing up for themselves or something important to them. It has taken me many years to learn how to argue/debate professionally. When I was younger I would take a disagreement personally, and it was not the intent. It is easy to get emotions get in the way and it is critical for women to keep the personal out of professional discussions.
I grew up in North Carolina, and always excelled at Math and Science. When it came time to go to college, Engineering was a logical choice for me, and North Carolina State University was the obvious choice as it was the best public school in NC offering engineering. In high school, I was extremely active. I was a member of the Marching Band, and served as both section lead and Vice President of the band. I was extremely active in my church, and spoke or sang solos occasionally at church. I was on the Beta Club, National Honor Society, and the Math Team, and also served as a Youth representative to a town council committee. I definitely think being involved in whatever interested me helped me develop skills in dealing with people and with speaking in various situations. At NCSU, I was active in my dorm, organizing and participating in a number of community service projects. I also served as a freshman advisor, helping freshmen become comfortable with college life and assisting them throughout their challenging first year on campus. I served on a number of honor societies, and joined IEEE as a student member. I would encourage college students to get involved and look for ways to broaden their experiences.
2. What exactly IS your job? What do you do on a day to day basis?
Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) tests various products to safety and performance standards. (You can look for the UL mark of safety on many of the products in your home such as TVs and appliances). UL is also a leading developer of safety standards in the US. I was hired into the Standards department at UL where we develop and maintain the safety standards. More recently, my job has expended to an international focus, as UL works to harmonize requirements with the requirements in other countries. This is important from a safety perspective in promoting safe products in those countries It is also important for trade reasons, as common requirements can facilitate trade.
3. How does STEM relate to your job?How do you use the information you learned from your degree in your job?
When I was first hired, my job was technical in nature as I had to understand various technical concepts in determining the appropriate requirements. I used engineering principles on a near daily basis. But I quickly found that communication and “soft skills” were equally important. As my job at UL has expanded, these other skills have become even more important. My engineering background was critical in obtaining my job; but these other skills have been critical in my job advancement.
4. Have you faced any discrimination/ challenges being a woman in a stem field? If so, how did you deal with it? Do you have any advice for up and coming women in STEM?
DO NOT LET BEING A WOMAN HOLD YOU BACK. I think people who look for discrimination, find it. Those who work hard and never ever give an excuse will not be discriminated against. That said, I have worked with people (not for people) who have come in with certain assumptions. When dealing with someone like that, my advice is to be professional and responsible. Let your reputation pave the way.
5. What is the best and worst part of your job? What do you look forward to in your job on a day to day basis? What do you wish you could change?
The best part of my job is knowing that UL has done so much to make the world a safer place. I love knowing that my personal job has contributed to that mission of working for a safer world. I love working with people from all over the US and increasingly all over the world. The Standards community is a small community but I have a lot of colleagues who I call friends. The worst part of my job would be the overabundance of emails. I spend way too much time going through emails and responding! While emails help us all, they have in some cases become an obstacle to getting my job done! I travel a lot and with smart phones I am able to stay in touch w/ the office and my responsibilities, but this can make for long days while on the road!
6. How do you balance your work and personal life? Any secrets or advice you’d like to share?
I had my children very early (my son was born while I was in college and my daughter a few years after I started work). Balance was fairly easy then. As I have gotten older the scales have definitely shifted to where I spend more time on work and less on home life. I have started trying to manage things better by setting a time to go home. While I was in the habit of taking my laptop home to work at night I now leave it at work several nights a week. It is important to have time away from work!
7. What do you define success as?
To me, being successful means being able to do what makes you happy.
8. What is one personality trait that you think is universally important for a successful career?
Being respectful. Respect has many levels. Respect those you work for. Recognize that they are people. If you don’t understand why the company is going a certain way, respect your manager enough to ask him or her to explain, rather than talking to others and potentially making the matter worse. Respect your co-workers. You won’t always see eye-to-eye, but respect them enough to know that they are there doing their job, just as you are. Most importantly, Respect yourself – do what you know is right and build your reputation as one of honor.
9. Who was a mentor to you throughout your career? (can be more than one!) What did they teach you? How did they impact your life?
My primary mentor was actually my boss at UL. He taught me how to have fun while working hard, and how to build positive relationships even with those on competing teams.
10. What do you think is the best advice you've ever received ? What advice would you give your younger self if you had the chance? What’s one piece of advice you can pass on to us?
Advice I’d give to my younger self is to be more assertive. I think women sometimes have a hard time standing up for themselves or something important to them. It has taken me many years to learn how to argue/debate professionally. When I was younger I would take a disagreement personally, and it was not the intent. It is easy to get emotions get in the way and it is critical for women to keep the personal out of professional discussions.