SWENext Club's Girl Powered Event Celebrates Women in Engineering

On International Day of the Girl, October 11, PTS hosted Girl Powered, an event that introduces students to women working in engineering. Organized by faculty member Ms. Susy Chu and members of Palmer Trinity’s SWENext club, the event also welcomed students and faculty from Westminster Christian and Lourdes Academy. Guest speakers were Palmer Trinity alumna Rebecca Dahdah ‘08 and PTS parent Helida Dodd, who shared about their careers.

Rebecca Dahdah is now a Civil/Wastewater Engineer with 8 years of professional experience. Rebecca obtained a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Florida International University (FIU). While at FIU, she held several executive board positions of professional organizations, including the Director of Communication of Society of Women’s Engineers and the President of Engineers Without Borders for three years. EWB was a key highlight and turning point in her development. She worked on funding, designing, and building a drinking water supply project for the Maleku community in Costa Rica. Feeling a desire to learn more about water policy, governance, and contextualize water issues globally, Rebecca continued her education by completing her master’s degree in Integrated Water Resource Management at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Throughout her career, Rebecca has been both a design engineer and project manager for several major projects with Federal and State mandates and for Miami Dade County’s Water and Sewer Department (MDWASD). Her work has included expansions and upgrades to Miami’s water and wastewater treatment plants and over 100 sewer pump stations and associated pipelines.
 
Helida Dodd, an Industrial Engineer, and a proud Palmer Trinity Parent, graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering from Florida International University and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Florida. Most of her career was spent in the healthcare system where she worked in various projects throughout Jackson Memorial Hospital and Baptist Hospital ranging from the Operating Rooms, Emergency Room, Trauma Center, Outpatient Clinics and business offices. She also worked in logistics and chain supply management overseeing all the operations of a software company. As a student, she was part of a research project that worked to eliminate the delays of the space shuttle NASA program. She is the Founder and CEO of Marbella Perfumes where she uses her chemistry and engineering background to create perfumes using natural materials.

 
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