Melissa Martz

“This is who I am meant to be and I am happy with that truth.”

Melissa Martz, Quality Resident Engineer Madison, Ala.

How did you decide to pursue your B.S. in Mechanical Engineering?

I wanted to be a neurosurgeon, but life decided otherwise. At 20, a boyfriend’s mother, who knew I was artistic, told me about a class where you learn to draw on the computer. I attended Portage Lakes Career Center in Ohio for my state diploma in Engineering Drafting and Design with CAD. When I got a job as a drafter in Augusta, Ga. and began helping the engineers, I realized, “Hey, I can do this!” So, I started in the engineering program at the University of South Carolina in Aiken, S.C. and graduated at age 31.

In your career, what situations have you faced as the only woman in the room? How have you navigated that?

A male engineer colleague once asked me why I was doing a man’s job when I should be at home, barefoot and pregnant. A manager asked me in front of other men in a meeting to retrieve his report from the printer and get more coffee. To the first guy, all I could do was stand there and smile because the repercussions would have been atrocious. To the manager, I looked him in the eye, said “No,” and proceeded to ask if he chose me because I was a female. He was flustered to say the least. Life experience has shown me that negative people are just intimidated.

What have you enjoyed most about your career?

I have been fortunate to work in nuclear, chemical, environmental and now automotive, focusing on quality of product. I have learned a ton and feel extremely versatile in my career. This gives a sense of stability and, as a single woman, that is important. I have no one to rely on but myself, and with this degree and career path I have been a self-sustaining woman.

Who is, or has been, your role model?

My father, Michael Dennis Martz. He worked at Martz Mold and Machine all his life with his brother and father. He was a tough, driven, German man who went to work every day, even after he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at age 45. He never complained or slowed down, even after he was bound to a wheelchair at age 50. As I reflect on this, I realize that he was the one who gave me the strength to endure my breast cancer diagnosis at age 42. I learned from the best to stay strong. My father was a hero to me. I was extremely fortunate to be with him when he passed.

Is there a song lyric that you feel represents your life or has particularly inspired you?

One song that I will always sing and love every word of is “Just Be” by Tiesto.

You can travel the world but you can’t run away from the person you are in your heart,

You can be who you want to be, make us believe in you, keep all your light in the dark

If you’re searching for truth you must look in the mirror and make sense of what you can see. Just be, just be.

It has taken me 51 years to realize that I must relish every minute of life. This is who I am meant to be and I am happy with that truth.