When Jessica Farmer started at USC as an art history major in 1997, she never imagined that she would be back for a second degree 16 years later.
“The first time I went to school, I didn’t really have a clear idea of what I wanted to do,” Farmer says.
After graduating the first time, Farmer pursued a career in architecture but quickly realized it was not for her. It was not until she started working as a safety facilitator at Shaw Industries in 2010 that she found her true passion.
“As a kid, I was always curious. I liked to take things apart and asked questions. But I didn’t know what career would fit those interests,” Farmer says. “At Shaw, I met a lot of engineers, including several female engineers, and I thought, ‘Oh, this is what I wanted.’”
Farmer went back to USC in 2013 for her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. Despite being an non-traditional student, she found herself making friends and being involved.
“It was surprising how many friends I made as a STEM major just from taking advantage of all the opportunities and studying with groups,” Farmer says. “With a larger school, there are more opportunities to meet people and form those friendships.”
Through several networking organizations across campus, Farmer discovered passions that remain with her today. Farmer also utilized networking skills for professional opportunities. At one of the university’s career fairs, she met with Technetics Group, where she interned as a process engineering intern. It was an internship that turned into her first job after graduating in 2016.
Farmer began working at Schneider Electric in 2018, where she remains today and was promoted to offer industrialization leader this past January. In her current position, Farmer strategically develops the manufacturing and procurement aspects for innovations of Schneider products to make the production process as sustainable, efficient and robust as possible.
In her second year as a mechanical engineering major, she became involved with the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). Aside from attending conferences, she began volunteering with K-12 outreach.
“I was only supposed to volunteer for half a day, but it was amazing, and I stayed the whole day,” Farmer says. “I became very passionate about outreach and keeping women on the STEM path. Organizations like SWE are crucial for keeping women involved.”
Farmer now serves on the leadership team at Schneider's SWE’s chapter. She continues with outreach, coordinating the company's attendance at annual SWE conferences.
Saule Bussing, another SWE lead at Schneider, says she admires that Farmer took on the challenge of taking on leadership positions within SWE.
“It’s a beast of an organization, and she stepped up to lead,” Bussing says. “A good leader can really impact how a group works and functions, and she’s done a great job.”
SWE is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, and while looking back on the organization’s history of bringing women into STEM, Farmer reflects on her own journey.
“We’ve still got a long way to go, but it’s great to see how far we’ve come,” Farmer says. “I made it this far through determination, and that’s really what it takes.”