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The Engineers of the Future

At the FIRST Robotics Competition, three all-female teams are helping to rewire a male-dominated profession.
By Sara Sugarman
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Alumna: Cynthia Botello, age 19

Hometown: Phoenix, AZ; here with her 2007 winning team

"I'm a sophomore at Arizona State University, studying to become a project engineer. I don't think I would have gone to college at all if not for FIRST. My high school was 96 percent Hispanic. Girls in our community aren't going to school, especially not for science and engineering. But once you get into FIRST, you see that it's fun. Before FIRST, I didn't even have any idea what an engineer was, but now I feel I can be successful in a male-dominated field—and I can inspire my younger sisters to stay in school."

 
From the May 2009 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine
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