Plano West Class of 2008 alumna Sydney Hamilton is currently a Boeing service engineer based out of Seal Beach, California. Earlier this year, she was recently featured on the Hidden Figures Power Panel, an event sponsored by Boeing in partnership with the National Society for Black Engineers (NSBE), highlighting women of color in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields. The newspaper staff had the pleasure to interview her and hear how she overcame obstacles in her path towards success. This is her story.

Sydney Hamilton

When you come home to Plano, other than visiting friends and family, what do you have to do when you get here?

I have to go to either Steak ‘N Shake or get a Jason’s Deli baked potato. Jason’s Deli baked potato always gives me that nostalgic feeling. When I ran track at Plano West, almost every day after track, I would go get a baked potato.

In layman’s terms, what does your job title entail?

I’m a service engineer, which means I repair 767 and 777 airplanes that are currently in service. Whether you’re at the airport and there’s a four hour delay or a scheduled maintenance repair, they’re calling my team to fix it.

How was your first day?

My first day? It was all bad. I went to new employee orientation for the first four hours, and then they told us to go to lunch and said “You’re done here for the day!” and I said “Great!” and I went home at noon. I got a call around 4:00 pm from a guy saying “Hey, I just wanted to call to see how your first day went,” and I told him it went really well. He asked if I was still there and I responded, “No, they sent us home at noon.” To both his and my surprise he informed me that I was supposed to go my job assignment after lunch. My stomach dropped. I had to be sick all weekend because I thought I was going to get fired on my first day of work. Then on Monday, my car battery was dead when I got in it. So, I was late. By the time I got there, I told myself “Don’t cry, it’s going to be okay. Stay calm.” Luckily, they were super nice and said “Eh, it’s okay. Miscommunication.” I initially thought “Is this a first day of work joke? Is this a ‘Ha, got you! You’re actually fired.” To my relief, it all worked out.

What was your experience as one of the women featured on Boeing and the NSBE Hidden Figures Power Panel?

It’s very humbling to be on a panel of such phenomenal women. Honestly, I was just happy to be there. Although, your story is unique, you realize that at the same time, it is not. No one has lived my life the way that I lived it because in the words of Doctor Seuss, “You are you, isn’t that pleasant.” But at the same time, all the challenges that you have gone through, you are not alone. Sometimes you think that you’re the only person going through this and that nobody can understand, but then you get up there in a panel full of women, and you’re like “Oh yeah! I had that experience too!” When you feel alone, always remember there is someone else like you that probably needs an ear.

After you graduated from Plano West, how did you get to where you are today?

I went to Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. They have a dual degree program where you do three years at Spelman and two years at an engineering school and you come out with two Bachelors of Science degrees. I did my math degree at Spelman College and aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan. I think the important thing isn’t necessarily the title of the school, but finding the school that can give you the most opportunities.

At career fairs, put yourself out there and be okay with rejection. Don’t let people discourage you because people love to tell you that you can’t do something. I think there are enough people in the world to tell you that you can’t, that you should always tell yourself that you can.

What career opportunities did you take during college and afterwards?

I interned at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for two years and I interned at General Electric (GE) Aviation in Cincinnati, Ohio. I also studied abroad in Xiamen, China. I highly recommend it, even if it pushes your graduation date back a semester. I know that seems strange now because you want to hurry up and get out into the job market, but the experience that you would have is incomparable.

How did Plano West prepare you for university and your career field?

The teachers that push you, probably the ones that irritate you the most, are the ones that really get you to where you need to be. Thank those teachers that push you harder than you want to be pushed, especially in your senior year.

As a student athlete at West, what do you remember most about your experience?

I’ll always remember doing whatever I could to maintain my grades so I wouldn’t have to run extra laps. I used to always joke that my sport was everyone else’s punishment. I would tell myself “I am not going to be out here for an extra 30 minutes running laps around this track for a bad grade,” and so the team really worked together to be successful. I was the math person; people came to me for math. My friend Gabby was much better at history. I was terrible at it, so we would help each other.

Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?

I see myself in executive leadership at Boeing. I like making decisions and I’m okay with taking the fall for a decision that maybe was not the best. That’s a big part of leadership that people leave out. Yes, understand when you’re doing great, people are going to praise you, but a true leader is okay with taking the responsibility for a bad decision.

I, also, think that representation is important. When you look at the executives at any Fortune 500 company, you don’t see many women at the top. That’s a little discouraging, so I want to break those barriers for the next generation of women who are aspiring leaders.

You previously stated “Youth are the key to chartering a course to a better tomorrow.” Would you please expand further?

I’m on a Board of Directors for a non-profit called Dramatic Results. We work with underrepresented and underprivileged students and teach them STEM through art, so it’s called STEAM. We’ll do origami to teach modular shapes and basket-weaving to teach volume. It makes abstract ideas a little more tangible in understanding.

We have to give back to our students, help them learn, especially the elementary school children because it starts there. When I was a little girl, I would always say “I want to change the world.” My mom would tell me “Okay sweetheart, that’s a lot. Start with changing one person’s world because that person can go back and change someone else’s world.” So I give back to the kids because eventually they’ll give back to the next generation and the trend will continue. Essentially, I am trying to changing the world, which was my life goal as little girl. If you can change the world of one, you can change the world. The butterfly effect.

Do you have any advice to women in a male dominant environment?

Don’t be afraid to speak up. Sometimes, you’re going to feel rude. Understand that the way men and women communicate is different. Men are okay with talking on top of each other and it’s not considered rude. Use your resources, insert yourself in the conversation and be confident. Know your facts when you’re being confident, because no one is going to question you. Use your #GirlPower.

Kathy King

She is a woman of intelligence, grace and is such a contributor and someone who gives. Just being around Sydney makes me a better person. We have a long rich relationship starting back from Shepton High School as I was able to be her principal there and here at Plano West. She’s on my list of famous people that I happen to know.

Lauren Hodum

I’ve always been so proud of Sydney. She felt a lot of pressure and didn’t see herself in a lot of the organizations she was in. But she always persevered. She is such a poised, respectful, intelligent young woman. She’s amazing. I wish more kids could see her and meet her. She’s so inspirational.

Jerry Grizzle

I cried when she came to visit. I know how much she has overcome and I am so proud of her. Her positive attitude, attention to detail, infectious laugh and personality and keen intellect easily set her apart from her peers.