Buried in the marks of memories are questions one often wonders – what is it that made me who I am today? The world we live in is an amalgamation of cultures, languages, people, and their experiences. Hispanic Heritage Month is a celebration of this intricate web of relationships – to acknowledge and honor where we come from and how it shapes us.
Maria Ligia Poroli’s identity lies at the intersection of multiple facets. A woman born and raised in Argentina, her family has a cultural background connected to Italian and Polish identities as well. Formerly working as a Senior Drilling and Completion Engineer with Chevron, Maria is now venturing into the Data Science and digital world.
Raised in a large family as the oldest daughter out of four, Poroli’s childhood was colored with festivities, traditions, and large celebrations. Having a large family also meant she had to learn early on to speak up for her needs and demands to be heard. A skill many women learn the importance of early on in their lives, speaking up helped Maria’s professional journey enormously.
Conquering the Unknown with Power
Having studied chemical engineering at a public university, Maria went on to explore a path that she hadn’t seen many around her take – that of petroleum engineering. Her interest in mathematics and chemistry coincided with the uniqueness of this industry where she pursued a master’s degree. Added to this was the gendered majority of male professionals in the field.
The first company she worked for sent her to the United States for a 3-month training period where she learned about multiple tools and concepts using hands-on practices. After 2.5 years of working at this job, she decided to take up a role as a drilling engineer at Chevron, constantly working in the field. Gradually, with increased responsibilities and more projects, she moved to be a completion engineer. Through the years, as she gained field insights and expertise, she started working as a team leader and eventually a performance engineer. It was at this point that her interest in digital tools, Data Analytics and Data Science really began. An interest in the domain of data that started while she was working with Chevron made her realize she wanted to leverage these skills for managerial positions.
Making Space and Being Heard: The Table Needs Different Perspectives
The oil and gas industry has historically seen fewer women than men. The companies she worked for were understanding and supportive, giving her the space to utilize her talents.
“There are very few women in the oil and gas field and many old men who weren’t used to having women in the workplace.”
A large family meant she had to learn how to speak up – a skill that helped Maria ask for a long-awaited transfer to the US. Her ability to make a demand for the opportunities she needed brought her closer to the freedom of choice.
When asked about women’s contributions to a male-dominated domain such as hers, she remarked that professional women add special value to the field. As a woman, she notices she is used to handling multiple things at once, making multitasking a skill. She is very detail-oriented and organized and remarks that it adds to her expertise. “We can sometimes bring a different point of view to solving problems”, she points out.
She recalls an incident where they had to test a tool at work for implementation and most of her coworkers were trying to push back against it. Her approach was to help them see the convenience of using that tool, setting her apart in how she dealt with issues. The power of logical communication and bringing consensus helped her establish her expertise in a world that wasn’t used to many people of her identity.
With the Covid-19 pandemic affecting businesses globally, the number of drilling rigs in her unit was reduced from 17 to 4. This reduced activity meant that the company had to reduce drilling and completion expert roles by 40%, resulting in the loss of her job.
She sees this career break as an opportunity to learn and reinvent herself and her skills. Talking about losing her job, she recalls how it was one of the toughest challenges of her life. Overcoming this challenge, she found what she calls one of the biggest accomplishments of her life – completing the Data Science and Business Analytics program second on the leaderboard.
“I am stronger than I think. I am much more than a title or a job description.”
Her resilience combined with a nurturing spirit impacted the advice she had for young Latinx womxn in the field of science and technology. It sums up Great Learning’s aim to provide equitable educational opportunities to learners across the world:
“Believe in yourself, be strong in the hard moments. They will pass and you will emerge a better person, a stronger woman. You can do whatever you want, the sky is your limit.”
Find out more about the PGP in Data Science and Business Analytics.
