Editor’s Note: Download the audio version below.
Welcome to another episode of Gen Z in Manufacturing, a podcast where I interview young people about their journeys in manufacturing, how they intend to influence the industry and what they are looking for from an employer.
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For this episode, I welcome Alexandra Bryant-Boose, a 27-year-old manufacturing automation engineer at Merck. Bryant-Boose became fascinated with manufacturing as she attended career fairs during undergrad at NC State. After earning a degree in chemical engineering with a concentration in biomolecular engineering and a double minor in microbiology and biotechnology, Bryant-Boose worked at Redbud Labs, a startup that develops microfluidic technologies.
After nearly two and a half years at Redbud Labs, Bryant-Boose transitioned to Merck and currently works as a specialist vaccine automation engineer, where her duties include preparing equipment for production, making coding updates to improve processes and troubleshooting daily issues.
Additionally, Bryant-Boose serves as a talent acquisition lead for Merck’s League of Employees of African Descent and co-leads a program that educates middle and high school students about careers in STEM.
Bryant-Boose was also recently named an Emerging Leader in manufacturing by the Manufacturing Institute’s 2024 Women MAKE Awards.
In this episode, Bryant-Boose discusses:
- Does Gen Z see manufacturing as a “dirty job” (2:03)
- How Gen Z can influence automation (4:11)
- What kind of mentorship employers need to provide (4:55)
- Navigating an industry dominated by white males (6:09)
- Using Gen Z workers to expose children to manufacturing careers (10:20)
- Letting Gen Z mentor executives and older generations (11:40)
- Why students don’t know about manufacturing (15:00)
- Critiques regarding diversity in the workplace (15:53)
Please make sure to like and share this episode of Gen Z in Manufacturing. To view previous episodes, visit manufacturing.net. If you are a member of Gen Z and would like to discuss your experience in the manufacturing industry, please get in touch with me, Nolan Beilstein, at [email protected].