Candys Mayo
A Leader With a Passion for Engineering
“At its heart, engineering is about using science to find creative, practical solutions. It is a noble profession.”----Queen Elizabeth II. Science and technology helps and improves our quality of life in so many different ways and these occupations are of special interest for a variety of reasons. Among other benefits, science and engineering jobs typically have low levels of unemployment and higher levels of wages and they are cornerstones for enhancement of research and findings. While the need for them is quite immense, studies indicate that demand in the workforce by far outweighs supply, calling for an increased effort to inspire students to study and pursue careers in science and engineering. Compounding the problem is the fact that females are disproportionately represented in science and engineering fields of studies. Although we've come a long way, a study by Dr. Brian Yoder indicates that females were awarded only 19.9 percent of all Bachelor's degrees awarded by an engineering program in 2015 and made up 21.4 percent of undergraduates enrolled in engineering. They received 25.2 percent of Master's degrees and 23.1 percent of doctoral degrees in 2015. Traditionally engineering has been delineated as a “boys club” and efforts are necessary to help more girls join engineering fields of study. Analytical findings reveal that inspiring and instilling a love of science and engineering into the minds of young girls could be a key factor in getting them interested in the pursuit of science and engineering studies. Candys Mayo, an engineering designer/entrepreneur continues to build her engineering company while also leading the way to get more girls to join science and engineering fields of studies. Phenomenal Woman Magazine recently caught up with Mayo to explore her extraordinary journey to success and highlight her vision for the future! Mayo was born in Youngstown, Ohio and grew up in the humble streets of the city. Against the backdrop of all odds stacked against her, she studied hard and obtained a Bachelors degree in Applied Science from Strayer University and a Masters degree in Business Administration with a focus on Project Management from the prestigious University of California at Berkeley. She joined the work force and started a career as an engineering designer at the then second largest engineering firm in the country, Northrop Grumman. There she was deeply engaged in the design of aircraft carriers for the US Navy and provided technical support to
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her team. “I had to be tough and corporate America is where I fought my toughest battles,” Mayo revealed. She recalls taking her first engineering course in her junior year of high school. It was presented to her by an African American teacher as a challenge to ensure that she came back to school after becoming pregnant in her sophomore year of high school. Undeterred by the challenges, a fighter spirit Mayo, knew there was no room for backing down and proved that for her teacher. After continuing her career as engineering designer with other corporations including Quality Connector Systems, SAFE Boats International and at Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Mayo realized that establishing her own design company was a passion she wanted to pursue and worked tirelessly to transform her vision into a reality. Today, Mayo's company, 'QUEEN-OHIO' based in Youngstown, Ohio provides top notch engineering services and support, ensuring innovative cutting-edge technology. Her company is also a registered vendor with the US Government at the Pentagon. So how did this bright engineering designer end up becoming an entrepreneur and her own boss? According to Mayo, “I was tired of being passed over for promotions, having noble ideas stolen and watching people that I had trained or out-performed be promoted above me, were the driving factors that forced me to start my own business.” Her response tallies with the findings of a study by The Guardian Life Index which cites “office politics” as a driving factor for women leaving Corporate America and starting their own businesses. She admits encountering tough challenges but failing several times never let her down. Instead, she used them as a major driving force for her success! She says “the vision that existed in my spirit and heart was one of huge success and passion, giving up was not an option. It was a separate heartbeat, alternating my own. I knew it was QUEEN-Ohio coming to life.”