DAYTON, Ohio — Dayton native Celeste Irwin has always had big dreams.
“I wanted to be a doctor, I wanted to be a neurologist, I wanted to be an archeologist,” said Irwin.
But after five years of running a vascular ultrasound machine at a local hospital, she decided to change her path and seek a computer engineering degree at Wright State University.
“A lot of people don’t recognize that ultrasound is the one profession in the medical field that has the highest muscular-skeletal injuries. I myself had a couple of rotator cuff tears, I had tennis synovitis in my wrist,” said Irwin.
Irwin applied and earned $5,000 as the inaugural recipient of the BHG Financial Runner Scholarship for women in STEM.
“It had a big impact on me. I’m very focused on being a good financial steward for myself and my loved ones,” said Irwin.
Irwin said she’s interested in working in research and product development for MRI-guided focused ultrasound, which is non-invasive and uses beams of acoustic energy to treat tumors and Parkinson’s Disease.
While she always advocates for women in the STEM fields, she’s aware of the stigma that still exists.
“Women in engineering get paid 13% less than their male counterparts. Women in STEM get paid 16% less than their male counterparts. I try and make friends with as many women as possible because we’re all in it together,” said Irwin.
Irwin said she’s excited about what the future has in store for her after graduation, and she’s fully embraced the role of mentor.
“Women were the first programmers, I mean women are pioneers and a lot of people don’t know it because we don’t talk about it. I hope I inspire girls, even if they don’t want to go into STEM, to do what they want to do,” said Irwin.
