Naomi Hernandez is a lead project engineer in Strike division at Northrop Grumman. She doesn’t think her success is defined by a job title or a paycheck, but by her impact within the engineering community.
Volunteering in the community
Outside of work, Naomi volunteers around Central Florida, sharing her insights on the engineering industry and its professional opportunities. For example, she helps a college senior in writing his resume’s objective statement and records a podcast that highlights how moving locations to pursue a career can work for women in STEM.
Naomi is also Vice President of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) Central Florida professional chapter.
An award-winning engineer
Naomi's contribution to the community meant she won Outstanding Woman Engineer of the Year by the Society of Women Engineers Space Coast. Naomi was also named a Luminary Honoree by the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Corporation (HENAAC). However, Naomi doesn’t feel she is a visionary of volunteerism or leadership. She is just giving back to the community.
Hundreds of Hispanic engineers built the career-enhancing framework SHPE gives its members and established it as an organization that is more like a family. SHPE bridged the gaps for Naomi professionally and personally through linking her with the resources and information needed to transition student to professional engineer. This happened so often during her undergraduate studies that she wants to do the same for young engineers who join SHPE during undergraduate studies every year.
Making a difference through mentoring
Mentorship and service have been part of Naomi's life since she was little. She and her sister were brought up in a faith-based family with a Vietnam-era Army veteran dad.
“We were definitely very patriotic and had humble beginnings,” she says. “My family definitely gave back, even though there was not much to give.”
Naomi has mentored engineers from undergraduate level through first jobs to management job interviews. Maricela Hernandez, one of Naomi’s protégés, wrote to HENAAC about how profoundly Naomi impacted her life after they first met at an SHPE regional retreat in Austin, Texas.
“I was a single mom in my junior year,” Maricela wrote. “I did not have a support system at home or in school to help me get through this trying time.
“She kindly listened to my story and offered some words of advice. Afterward, I felt that YES, I could be successful no matter what, and all it took was someone to see that in me and remind me that I could succeed no matter the situation. That person was Naomi Hernandez.”
Maricela now holds a master’s degree and is a mechanical engineer and mother of three. And Naomi has been there for it all.
“It’s so fulfilling to see people grow throughout their personal and professional lives,” she adds.
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