Where Are They Now? DHS Grad Excels at Engineering in College

It’s hard to always keep up with what graduates are doing. But DHS alum, Elizabeth Chambers, was easier. The 2009 grad was photographed for this Iowa State brochure promoting its program for women in science and
engineering. Chambers, a junior in college, is currently studying industrial engineering.

“Industrial engineering looks over the operations and processes of a business or
manufacturing company,” she explained and is studying ways to improve that process while managing costs.

Science teachers in District 113 believe that rigorous science classes, beginning with the freshman year of high school, foster students’ interest in continuing their
education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. These classes are
also known as STEM courses.

“I really enjoyed the math program at Deerfield,” Chambers recalled. “I had some
really good teachers that kept me motivated to stay in a science related major,” she added about her decision to apply to college engineering programs.

Chambers was accepted into Iowa State’s Woman in Science and Engineering Program. The program reaches out to female K-12 students and encourages them to get involved in STEM careers. She’s also a George Washington Carver Scholar. The University offers 100 tuition scholarships to incoming minority freshmen who meet specific academic requirements.

“It’s not very diverse,” Chambers commented about Iowa State, which is why it was helpful to meet other Carver Scholars during a special seminar her freshman
year. “It was nice to have a group that I could sort of go to.”

Now in her third year at Iowa, Chambers feels adjusted.   

“Your first couple of years of school, classes are going to test how much you really
want to be there. It was tough for me in the beginning,” Chambers remembered,
but added that now she gets to take classes she’s interested in and sees the
benefit of. “I can apply it [studies] to things that I encounter in the real world.”

Chambers encouraged students to take advantage of STEM courses offered at Deerfield High School, noting that they better prepared her for life after DHS.

“It wasn’t as much as a shock for me as it was for some of my other classmates,”
she said about her transition to Iowa and is happy she stuck with the rigorous program.

“I’m glad that I didn’t let it intimidate me into doing something else that I might
not have wanted to do as much.”

Chambers hopes to develop her management skills by working at a hospital after college. She could also see herself at a financial institution or large corporation.