There's always something to learn, there's always something to explore within engineering.

(upbeat music) Hi, my name's Rylee, and I'm on a mission to talk to as many engineers as I can and find out what's so special about this career path.

Today, I'm talking to an engineer with a delicious hobby.

I wanna find out what else she likes to explore and how she engineered her future.

Ready?

Let's go!

Hey, Vrishtee!

So, I heard you like spending time in the kitchen.

Hey, Rylee.

Yeah, you heard it right.

I love baking and cooking when I'm at home.

That's cool.

So what is your favorite thing to bake?

I love baking a good tres leches cake.

And you layer it with some whipped cream and eat it with some fresh berries.

[Rylee] That sounds amazing.

[Vrishtee] I know, right?

Well, tell me about your work.

I heard you're an engineer.

[Vrishtee] Yes, that is right.

I work at KitchenAid, which is in Greenville, Ohio, as a process engineer, and I love doing my job.

[Rylee] What do you do at work?

[Vrishtee] Basically I drink coffee, (Rylee laughs) go out to the assembly line.

I figure out what is causing problems in their processes.

I try to improve their processes by making fixtures, designing fixtures, sometimes 3D printing it, trying to figure out how I can make the processes on the assembly line better for the operators who work on it.

That is really cool.

So do you think the reason why you started cooking is because of your work?

Actually, yes.

I work at KitchenAid small appliances and we make stand mixers, blenders, and hand mixers, and I actually started baking by using the products that we make.

Hmm, that's cool.

Okay, so besides work and cooking, what are some things you like to do in your free time?

I absolutely love spending time talking to people, getting their perspective on things, and I love spending my time outside.

I have been on a trek to Lake Brhigu, which is 14,000 feet above the sea level.

[Rylee] That is so cool!

[Vrishtee] I know, right?

Other than that, I spend a lot of time doodling stuff and repeating patterns with paints and colors.

I love doodling too, and I love nature as well, but I always get in trouble for doodling at school.

Oh, be careful there.

Yes, ma'am.

So besides that, what are some things that you liked to do when you were my age?

Oh, I really enjoyed solving puzzles and solving brain teasers, and I really was good with math and science because it was more logical.

It was either right or wrong, and there was nothing in between, so I really enjoyed doing that, knowing when and where I was wrong.

I think that's what was my initial realization that I wanted to pursue a career in STEM.

That's cool.

I try to solve puzzles, but it's not something I'm very good at.

But besides that, who or what inspired you to become an engineer?

When I had heard about Indian-born American Kalpana Chawla, who was one of the seven crew members in the space shuttle Columbia disaster, I didn't know what she did, but I knew she was an engineer.

I wanted to be something like her when I grew up.

That was the first time I knew an engineer could take you to space.

(radio chattering) Do you think it was difficult for you to travel to the U.S. in being from India, and did that come with any challenges in being an engineer?

Actually, yes.

I think there was a huge cultural difference when I first moved to the U.S. after finishing my bachelor's in India, but I also think that a lot of people I've met throughout my life have been really supportive, but I can see how many other women out there could be challenged or could have problems doing that.

Fortunately, I work in a facility where almost 50% of the employees are women, so we have a good ratio there, but yeah, I did graduate with a class of 14 women in a class of 80, and I think there's a still long way to go with that gender ratio.

Well, you seem like a really smart kid and you're super smart now, but studying for tests and things can be really hard.

It wasn't hard for you, right?

Sometimes yes, but I think I did what I loved.

I have always loved finding out the whys of things and how things work, so that helped me with my courses in science, and that made it easier.

Do you have any other things that you wanna say to kids, maybe my age, who want to become an engineer?

One thing I would say is if you really love doing something, make sure you keep doing it, and don't forget to try new things out, and take all the opportunities that you have.

Well, thank you so much, Vrishtee, for joining me today and teaching me how you engineered your future.

I'll see you later, Vrishtee.

Buh-bye.

(upbeat music) [Rylee] Mission accomplished!

This was fun!

(upbeat music)