‘It’s the People Around Me’

Some people think engineers are antisocial, spending their days chained to a computer or cranking out complex math and science equations.But for Shalom Masango, Vandal engineers break that stereotype.

“The engineering students, my friends here, they’re a different type of engineer,” the mechanical engineering senior said. “We’re creative and impassioned in helping others. Most engineers like solving problems, but we also like working together and having fun outside of classes. It’s the people around me that have made my life at U of I so rich.”

Masango came to the University of Idaho College of Engineering from Zimbabwe. Eyeing degree programs in Canada, she said U of I and Idaho were not on her radar. Through her experiences with the students, faculty and staff, Masango chose to stay at U of I because of the unique social and learning atmosphere, with creative students, small class sizes and support resources through industry, faculty and peer mentorship.

“All I can say is that I have no regrets. I have lived my best years at U of I,” she said, “You have lots of access to professors, resources and support programs. I fell in love with campus, my peers and the faculty. I grew up in the city. Here, there are so many places to study, people say ‘Hello,’ people smile.”

Aerospace to Mechanical Engineering

Masango will graduate this spring with a job at global power engineering leader Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) as an associate manufacturing engineer — a position she has held since interning with the company last fall.

Growing up in Harare, Zimbabwe, her father traveled often for work. Masango remembers spending a lot of time in airports watching planes take off and land while picking her father up from his latest trip.

“I always wanted to be a pilot,” she said. “I would love to have my own plane, to fly across different states. I want to get my parents their own jet.”

Masango’s father had a more practical take.

“He knew how much work it would take to be a pilot, and how much time I would have to spend away from family and friends to be successful,” she said.

A vice president from the Boeing Company attended a graduation ceremony at one of the universities near Masango’s hometown. Her father set up a meeting with him. She learned most Boeing engineers didn’t have aerospace degrees – most focused on other disciplines such as mechanical engineering.

“I wanted a degree that was portable,” she said. “Mechanical engineering is a mixture of all disciplines. You do a little civil engineering, deal a little with electrical engineering — it’s a well-rounded way to go. My parents couldn’t agree more, and they supported this decision.”

A Social Setting

As a freshman at U of I, Masango lived on the Women in Science and Engineering floor on the ninth floor of Theophilus Tower. Students in this living group have access to academic and career resources on campus through mentorship opportunities, social engagement and more.  

“It was a very social setting, and almost everyone was an engineer,” she said. “When you come to campus and don’t know anyone, being able to easily meet people with similar interests, to hang out with students you have classes with, to help each other — that’s important as an engineering student.” 

Mentorship

Masango also took advantage of the mentorship programs and support resources open to engineering students. As a member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), she joined the SWE-INL Mentorship Program. Mentees are partnered with professional engineers in industry, including Idaho National Laboratory. 

“We’re creative and impassioned in helping others. Most engineers like solving problems, but we also like working together and having fun outside of classes. It’s the people around me that have made my life at U of I so rich.”

— Shalom Masango, mechanical engineering senior

“The mentorship programs in the College of Engineering connect you to professional engineers from different types of industry as well as your peers,” she said. “You work in small groups and meet often. You learn how others have approached the same challenges you have, and what tools they used to be successful.” 

Building Meaningful Relationships

Masango said the relationships she has built with faculty in her department, even professors she had freshman year, have strengthened her ability to succeed academically. She said maintaining connections with faculty at U of I is easy to do. 

“I love my professors. At U of I, you really feel like they are here to help you,” she said, “I have so many stories about different faculty supporting me and helping me achieve my goals. Faculty references helped me earn my job at SEL.” 

The same feeling of support has helped her settle in her first job after college. 

“SEL really cares about its employees,” she said. “If I’m working on a project and I get stressed, I can reach out to my manager three levels above me. They want to help and encourage collaboration at work. They want you to be the best version of yourself as an employee and a person.” 

As she builds her career, Masango said she still has plans to pursue her pilot’s license and to buy her family their own jet.

Article by Alexiss Turner, University Communications.

Photos by Rio Spiering, University Visual Productions.

Published in May 2023.