Kimberly Lawrence is a Water Engineer at Jacobs Engineering who was recently recognized at the beginning of 2020 as a Notable Woman in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) by Washington STEM. Kimberly grew up in Dominica and Barbados, two small Caribbean islands whose natural unspoiled beauty inspired her to pursue a career in STEM. Her academic journey included a Bachelor’s in Chemistry with Mathematics (Hons.) from the University of the West Indies, Cavehill campus followed by two internships in infrastructure and program management. Kimberly went on to complete a Master’s in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Stanford University which led her to her current job as a Water Engineer.

Her job involves overseeing projects that provide clean drinking water for the communities across the Puget Sound, wastewater management, and formulating earthquake preparedness strategies for the water supply.  For Kimberly, the most rewarding part of her job is seeing improvement in the quality of life of the people served by her community projects. She is continuously motivated to troubleshoot infrastructural problems that create a negative impact on the environment and the lives of her community’s residents.

As a Black woman in STEM, Kimberly notes the importance of surrounding herself with supportive, like-minded individuals. She belonged to the Black Engineering Graduate Students Association during her graduate studies, which she believes was vital to her success as a Black female engineer. Kimberly is now part of the global leadership program for women in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine) – Homeward Bound. This program is a transformational leadership initiative for women in STEMM to become catalysts for change in environment and climate change. She looks forward to traveling with the woman-focused leadership group to Antarctica for three weeks of intense leadership training.

Kimberly continues to be an advocate for women in STEM and is driven to mentor young women with similar career goals. She believes that women are exceptional at organizing, communication, and empathy, and their ability to balance several commitments and encourage contributions from all team members makes them ideal candidates for careers in STEM. She advises women to remain true to their core values and to build a community for themselves wherever they go.

With her passion for STEM evident in her interactions with others, Kimberly continues to focus on excelling at her job and studying for her upcoming certificate exam. We congratulate Ms. Lawrence on her accomplishments to date and wish her the best as she continues to make a positive impact in the field of engineering.

The original interview conducted by Danny Gross can be viewed on the Washington STEM website