RCC hosts Women of Color in STEM February 28
Robeson Community College will host an event called Women of Color in STEM, showcasing the accomplishments of minority women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics this coming Tuesday, February 28 from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. in the ADL Auditorium. There is no cost to attend. The panel discussion is open to the general public.
The forum will feature three guest speakers, Carol Boom, Sunny Myers, and Hilda Pinnix-Ragland, and will be moderated by Louis McIntrye.
“It is an honor to feature these three women in STEM who have broken barriers and shattered glass ceilings,” stated RCC President Melissa Singler. “We hope that everyone who attends this event will walk away motivated and empowered, as these women of STEM share with you stories of success, all from different backgrounds and different chosen career paths.”
“We know that women can do anything that they put their mind to and these three women are prime examples of that,” Singler said. “We hope to inspire more women to go into STEM as there are great opportunities that exist in a multitude of career fields including many available at Robeson Community College such as cyber security, industrial systems, welding, emergency medical services, electrical systems, and more.”
“As they say, change starts with us and it is my hope that this event will be a catalyst that helps inspire more women to have the courage to take the road less traveled and get started on their dreams in STEM,” stated Singler. “I have heard many of our female welding students say they always wanted to go into that field since they were in elementary school. I’m so glad they followed their heart and didn’t let anything stop them from going after their dreams.”
Carol Boom
Boom is originally from Venezuela. She moved to the United States after completing high school to pursue her dream career in engineering. She graduated from the University of Maryland Baltimore County with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. She currently works as the diffusion, implant, and thinning process development engineer at Wolfspeed.
Boom worked her way up the ladder as a semiconductor, working initially as a technician on the night shift and progressively advancing to her current position. Boom says she is proud to be a female Hispanic engineer in a male-dominated industry and believes diversity makes all of us better employees and people. In addition to engineering, she enjoys other passions like family activities and CrossFit.
Sunny Myers
Sunny Myers is the senior diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) business partner for product. She partners with business leadership, people business partners, talent acquisition, and other stakeholders to design, execute, and measure DEI initiatives to ensure meaningful and measurable progress toward business goals.
With an electrical engineering background and over 15 years in technical roles, Sunny has a unique skill set that encompasses her technical expertise and DEI practitioner experience.
In her free time, Sunny enjoys spending time with her kiddos and husband. She is also a rugby coach and runs a large youth program that makes rugby equitable and accessible for all.
Myers is also active in her Native American Sappony and Lumbee tribal communities and says she is passionate about connecting Indigenous students to STEM opportunities
Hilda Pinnix-Ragland
Pinnex-Ragland is a corporate affairs and business executive acknowledged for building best-in-class organizations that consistently achieve aggressive revenue and profit objectives. She is a dedicated board member to industry, educational, and community organizations, bringing new strategies and processes to enhance effectiveness. Her broad background includes P&L management, strategic planning, economic development, communications, auditing, accounting, treasury, M&A integration, customer service, and operations.
Pinnex-Ragland has served on various boards, including Southwest Water Company, RTI International, 8 Rivers Financial Capital, NC A&T State University Board of Trustees, 2022 U.S. Women’s Open Steering Committee, NC State Board of Community Colleges, NC Dental Services, and is an NACD Certified Board Director.
According to her biography, Pinnex-Ragland began her career on the financial side, serving as an accountant for Colgate Palmolive, a senior auditor for Arthur Andersen, and a senior financial systems auditor and project financial analyst for Progress. As Vice President of Economic Development, she was responsible for future revenue.
Hilda holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from North Carolina A&T State University and a Master of Business Administration from Duke University Fuqua School of Business. She also completed graduate studies in taxation from St. John’s University and the Executive Program from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. She is a member of the Executive Leadership Council (ELC) and NACD. In 2017, she co-authored the book “The Energy Within Us”. Most recently, Hilda became an NACD Certified Corporate Director.
The Women of Color in STEM event at Robeson Community College is made possible through the First Americans Pathway to STEM Success grant.
