Page 13 - Time Magazine, Sep. 17, 2018

BR OUGHT T O YOU B Y

The Engineer:

A Ford First

DAMYANTI GUPTA IS THE FIRST WOMAN
WITH AN ADVANCED ENGINEERING DEGREE WHO
WORKED FOR THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY. In 1997, Gupta received a certifi cate
commemorating three decades at Ford.

AT 13, DAMYANTI (RANI) GUPTA FOUND HER her husband had amassed so that she could come to
calling. Before hearing Prime Minister Jawaharlal America. Gupta refused to let her mother down,
Nehru address a crowd in the small Indian city fi rst receiving an advanced degree in Mechanical
“I’LL NEVER
where her family lived, she had never even heard Engineering at Oklahoma State and then heading
the word “engineer.” But Nehru impressed upon the DICTATE WHAT to the Motor City in January 1967. She didn’t have a
young people in the crowd, particularly the girls, the MY FIVE car or snow boots when she arrived in Michigan.
importance of the profession for creating industry GRANDDAUGHTERS Gupta applied for various engineering positions
in a country that had spent 200 years under British at Ford. “We have no females here,” an HR person
SHOULD BE, AS
rule. “That day, I went home and told my mom that informed her. “I told him, ‘I’m here, and unless you
LONG AS THEY
I would become one of the fi rst female engineers,” hire me, you’ll never have any.’” Eventually, she was
Gupta recalls. WORK HARD, HAVE given a chance and remained with the company for
While working toward her engineering degree PASSION AND more than 30 years. Together with her husband,
in India—a situation so rare that the college had REALIZE THEY CAN Subhash, a retired engineer whom she met in the
to build a restroom for her—she came across a U.S., Gupta raised two sons, Sanjay, chief medical
ALSO ONE DAY
biography of Henry Ford, and started dreaming of correspondent for CNN, and Suneel, who recently
joining the company he had built. Gupta’s mother, BE A ‘FIRST.’” ran for Congress.
whom she considers “a visionary,” took a risk by A true groundbreaker, Gupta has inspired count-
giving her eldest daughter all the savings that she and less young women to pursue engineering careers.
To see more about Gupta’s groundbreaking endeavors, go to time.com/ford-engineer.