November 4, 2025
By Tracie Troha

The George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and the Women of Woodruff (WoW) hosted the second annual WoW Leadership Symposium on October 18, providing undergraduate and graduate students with a full day of leadership training, inspiration and networking. Sponsored by Anheuser-Busch, Boeing, Freudenberg-NOK, Phillips 66 and Techwood Precisions, the symposium offered students real-world insights from accomplished female leaders in industry.

Participants attended sessions focused on career readiness, strategic networking, and effective leadership, and earned the WoW Leadership Certification from the Woodruff School.

The featured speakers were Georgia Tech alumni and included Jazmine Brite, ME 2015, manager of the AI Product Activation Program at Google; Jieun Ku, Ph.D. AE 2007, senior manager of 787 Wing & Empennage at Boeing; Carly Queen, B.S. ME 2009, M.S. CE 2016, MCRP 2016, owner and CEO of Aurora Innovative Solutions; and Aparna Shah, ME 2001, senior vice president and general manager of the U.S. Information Solutions Direct to Consumer business at Equifax.

Each speaker had their own unique presentation, but they all emphasized the importance of embracing the human aspect of engineering and building strong relationships.

“[WoW’s] definition of leadership as ‘the art of making others better’ was also shared with the students,” said Jonathan Gaines, associate chair for outreach and engagement at the Woodruff School and WoW faculty liaison. “They were able to reflect on the different forms this leadership can have and the ways in which they can fine-tune their personal approach so they can be ready for a long and successful career as an engineer.”

The impact of the event was clear from student feedback, as many said it gave them practical tools they could apply to their studies and future careers.

“This program has been an extremely valuable experience that helped me grow both personally and professionally,” said third-year mechanical engineering student Mikko Westerbeke. “I learned a lot about leadership, communication and teamwork through hearing different perspectives and real-world stories from experienced leaders. It made me think critically about my own strengths and areas for improvement, and I’ve started applying what I learned in my classes and organizations.”

Gaines said the WoW Symposium grew in both reach and impact from the previous year, and he hopes it will become a signature program for the Woodruff School.

“For the first year of the symposium, we had three companies provide leadership development workshops and two corporate sponsors. This year, we increased to four companies that provided workshops and five corporate sponsors,” he said. “We were really excited about the growth of the leadership symposium.”