SCE Women Engineers Talk About EmPowerment

Danielle Chanes, Nicole Cadreau and Daniella Bosze shared their experiences with CSULB College of Engineering students during the Office of Professional Development & Internship Department’s first workshop on gender diversity. After their presentations, they fielded questions on work-life balance, negotiating a fair salary, gaining acceptance and respect in a mostly-male team, and dealing with sexist comments.

The Southern California Edison employees turned to managers, friends, and family to help them navigate the traditionally male-dominated engineering field. But in 2018, their support network grew with the establishment of SCE’s Women EmPowerment (WE) group within the Distribution Engineering organization.

Cadreau, a Distribution Engineering Manager, said female SCE engineers were at first nervous about starting WE. “Most of the fears we were feeling came from within ourselves. That was one of the most powerful meetings we had as an organization,” she said. The WE team has now grown into a strong support system for all its members, male and female, and is moving towards embracing change and celebrating diversity in 2021. 

A few years back, there were only two female managers within the organization they could turn to for mentorship. The group realized the importance of mentorship and began seeking it from their peers as well as male managers. Cadreau said when looking for a mentor, it is important to consider their style, the type of work they do, and whether they have time to be a mentor.
“Sometimes they don’t work out. You have to find the right fit. And as you start to further your career, reach down and pull someone up with you,” she said.

Bosze grew up in Venezuela, where female engineers are common. When she transferred to CSULB to study electrical engineering, she was surprised to find so few women in her classes. She immediately set to work finding an internship, knowing that was an important step in laying her career foundation.

“At the time, I was very confused that there were very few women in engineering classes,” she said. “It really made me doubt myself.”

She connected with recruiters at a CSULB meeting of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and secured an SCE internship in 2016. The internship turned into a year-round opportunity, then was extended to a second year. She worked in Local Planning preparing work orders for construction and installation of facilities and equipment, then moved to Distribution Engineering, and was hired full-time when she graduated.

Cadreau attended the University of San Diego, where she earned a B.A. and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering with a Math minor. She secured an SCE internship in 2013, working on major projects, then joined the company full-time in 2014, spending her first few years working on generation interconnection studies in the Transmission Planning group.

Bosze credits her success, in part, to SCE managers who put her in positions that allowed her to grow. When she transferred to a new group, she was happy to see that half of the members were women. “I had a great experience. I did not feel alone. Every semester, there were only two or three girls. To go into the field and see that change, it was amazing to me,” she said.

Chanes, who earned a BSEE from Cal Poly Pomona in 2017, said it is important to “get comfortable being uncomfortable” to continue advancing. She took that advice herself when she left a comfortable but somewhat unchallenging position to join the operations engineering team at a switching station where her co-workers were all men.

The only woman—and the only minority—Chanes worked at her desk in the corner and quietly observed. Two months in, she slowly gained confidence to speak up when an issue arose, whether or not her suggestion was implemented. Still, she is glad she made the change. “You only grow from experiences. I’m very proud of my story,” she said. “It is who I am.”

Building connections, reaching out to other organizations, and honing in on your strengths and passion are important actions to take. “If we wait for someone to create an opportunity for us, we’ll be waiting all our lives,” Cadreau said.

Understanding the origins of people’s conscious and unconscious biases is also important, she said, “not only with men, but with all kinds of people.”

Finding a progressive company that values diversity and is transparent about their progress is another crucial step. For example, SCE posts its diversity numbers on its website, comparing them to future diversity goals.

Cadreau shared that SCE recently had a companywide training session on psychological safety and what it means to bring your whole self to work. “When you can do that, your potential for success is exponential. There’s a lot of power we have ourselves to make decisions and move forward.”

She advised the COE students to surround themselves with people who support their goals. “There are going to be people who don’t want you to succeed, but there are people who do want you to succeed. Find people who want you to succeed and don’t let self-doubt run things.”