Monique McCants began her volunteer career in 2014 when she became involved with the Breakfast Buddies program through her job at Air Products. In this program, she was matched with a student at
Roosevelt Community School in Allentown. “I've had so much support in getting to where I am that I want to provide the same and more to others,” says McCants. “Representation matters, and as a black female engineer, it has been important to me to be visible to students and in my community.”
McCants is involved in three other volunteer programs throughout the Lehigh Valley, including the PA Dream Team, Engineering Explorers and the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center, where she serves on the executive board. “Volunteering to serve on the LGBT Center board has been about representation as well,” says McCants. “I love to give back to my community and be present in a way that was missing in my life.”
Engineering Explorers specializes in mechanical and chemical engineering through team projects, and McCants is able to help give teens and young adults hands-on experience in the field. Her role in the PA Dream Team is to bring awareness to different career paths in the manufacturing field for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
“As Dream Team members, we make classroom presentations that encourage students to explore manufacturing careers,” says McCants. “We help to dispel misconceptions about manufacturing jobs and give students an idea of what a real career might look like from the perspective of young professionals in this industry.” The mission of each of these programs resonates with McCants and is what keeps her going. She is motivated by the difference she makes in people's lives and hearing back from those she works with.
