McKenzie Scott, Hazelwood Central High School alumna, is making her way through the engineering field. Scott is currently an analyst for Accenture at their St. Louis office. Accenture helps to solve client challenges by providing services in strategy, consulting, digital, technology, and operations.  

Scott graduated from Central High in 2012. She then went on to receive a degree in engineering management from Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T). However, her love for engineering started back in eighth grade. 

“My first Project Lead the Way (PLTW) class was in eighth grade,” said Scott. “Once I got to Central, I signed up for as many PLTW classes as I could. My teachers and PLTW classes helped me make the decision to attend Missouri S&T.

While at Central, Scott had a few influential teachers; however, none was more influential than PLTW Teacher, Benjamin Creen. She had Creen in two of her PLTW classes.

“Mr. Creen taught my classes for Principles of Engineering and Aerospace Engineering. Mr. Creen was very passionate about the subjects he taught and sometimes the only thing I looked forward to on a long school day was my engineering classes, and being able to solve problems by using my hands to build real-life solutions,” Scott said.

Scott did not allow gender stereotypes to get in her way of her dream job. Scott was part of the 23% of females who attend Missouri S&T and currently she works in a field in which only 13% of the workforce is female. However, that would not stop her from recommending the engineering field to anyone.

“Go for it! If engineering is something even remotely of interest, I guarantee there is a field of engineering for you,” said Scott.

“Personally, I studied engineering management which focuses on bridging the gap between engineering and business, but there are numerous industries out there. It is such a rewarding subject to immerse yourself in and the opportunities are endless. The math and science may be daunting at first, but it is worth every minute of studying,” she said.