In celebration of Women’s History Month, this is the second in a series of stories on women in Penn State's College of Information Sciences and Technology who are paving the way, inspiring young women and promoting diversity in a typically male-dominated industry.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- College is a time for exploration and self-reflection. At a school like Penn State that offers exposure to countless industries and opportunities, it’s not unusual for a student to question their choice of major, even as an upperclassman.  

Paulette Vega is one such student.

Vega initially came to Penn State from her home in Puerto Rico with the intention of pursuing a career in dentistry or medicine. Enrolling in the Eberly College of Science her freshman year, Vega began studying subjects such as biology, physics and chemistry before officially declaring her major in biology.

“My first semester was OK,” she said. “I liked my classes and I made friends, but I quickly figured out that it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be.”

She grew up with two physicians in her household, as both of her parents are doctors. She wanted to follow in their footsteps and considered a path toward dental school, but both she and her family knew that she was not actually pursuing her passion.

“Before I came to college my parents were telling me that they didn’t see me going into a biology field or going to dental school,” she said. “They pictured me more in law school or a business-related role. I didn’t see myself in those either, [but I also] didn’t have any immediate role models in the technology field.”

Vega’s interest in technology was piqued after attending an introductory speech class during her sophomore year. She was randomly paired for a project with a student studying security and risk analysis (SRA) in the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST). After working together and discussing their majors and professional goals, Vega realized she had a change of heart regarding her career path.

Carefully considering the idea of this transition, Vega explored potential careers that would follow an IST or SRA degree. Support from her family and encouragement from upperclassmen in the College of IST advanced her interest. However, it wasn’t until Vega was studying for a chemistry final that a change was sparked.

“I was in the library one night, and instead of studying for the final the next day I was looking at the IST academic plans and trying to make it fit,” she said.

That summer, Vega decided to give the information sciences and technology major a chance.

“I took two IST classes and I loved it,” she recalled. “I was already calling the IST advising office to see if I could change my major and still graduate in four years. Before the summer was over, I declared IST as my major.”

A major change

While Vega’s science credits transferred to her new college, she had limited knowledge of her new field and had yet to earn any of the introductory credits that most students had finished by their junior year. She wondered how she was going to graduate in four years and struggled with her career development, uncertain of where she would end after graduation.

“My biggest challenge was being able to manage 18 credits of completely new classes while at the same time looking for internships and figuring out what I wanted to do after college,” she said. “I wasn’t in IST all four years, so I didn’t have much time to plan out what I wanted to do after college.”

As she approached her first career fair as a College of IST student, Vega felt intimidated. However, the support she received from the college’s advising office eased her nerves and led her to feeling more prepared.

“It was two weeks before the career fair, and I told my career adviser I had just switched majors and [was] taking all of the introductory classes,” she recalled. “I didn’t know what I was going to talk to the recruiters at the career fair about. But the advisers were very friendly. They said, ‘Relax, you have time. You don’t have to figure it out this semester.’ They were very helpful.”

Vega utilized local resources to gain hands-on experience and supplement her resume for the next career fair. She says her internship with Surge Business Development in State College gave her experience in the new field and ultimately assisted her in landing her first summer internship with Covestro, a polymer material manufacturing company in Pittsburgh.

Returning to campus that fall, Vega had a new sense of confidence and experience as she entered her second IST career fair. Using her IT background, she was able to incorporate her new consulting experience with technical skills and secure interviews with five companies: IBM, Highpoint, Grant Thornton, Microsoft and Accenture.

“Something that gave me a competitive advantage was being able to integrate both business and technology,” she said. “My IST background helped teach me both. Especially nowadays when everything is so technology-driven, being able to understand both business and the technical side of things really helped me stand out.”

Making the grade

Vega credits the curriculum in the college for helping her prepare for these opportunities, and drew on the hands-on projects that focused on corporate integration for examples in her interviews.

“The classes I’ve taken in IST reassured me that I made the right decision to change. Every single semester I talk with my parents about everything I learned in class. I tell them, ‘I can’t believe I almost didn’t switch to IST. I can’t imagine myself without IST right now.’”

After receiving offers from all five companies, Vega made the decision to pursue a full-time position with Accenture after graduation as a technology analyst.

“Accenture was my favorite company from the beginning and was also the last offer I received, three days before my other offers expired,” she said. “When I got the Accenture offer, I focused on the people. I resonated most with their people.”

Vega has defied the odds and will successfully complete her undergraduate studies in four years—despite a considerable change in her academic path. On track to graduate this May, Vega’s success story is the result of self-discipline and risk-taking. She advises students who are not happy with their major or career path to make a change, despite the uncertainty that may follow.

“I don’t like change at all,” she said. “When someone recommended I make a change after I declared my major, it was scary for me because I already had a plan. But if I have learned anything from this experience it is that change is necessary and people should not be scared to try something new.”