AMERICA | A 23-year-old Lady named Jayla McCoy, has joined the top 1% of Black women worldwide with engineering degrees after graduating from the University of Kentucky, United States
Her achievement marked a major milestone in her academic and professional journey as it led to more remarkable accomplishment for her at a young age.
Jayla's Story and How She Did It
Jayla began her path in engineering in 2019, enrolling at the university shortly after completing high school. What followed was a challenging yet transformative journey filled with determination and resilience.
Reflecting on her journey, Jayla admitted that becoming an engineer was the hardest thing she had ever done.
“If you knew my story, you’d know the journey of becoming an engineer was the hardest thing I’ve done in life. There were many long nights, tutoring sessions, classes that made me rethink everything, and tears involved. Yet, I made it through,” she shared on LinkedIn.
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Her achievement places her among the 1% of Black women engineers globally and within the 3.3% of engineers worldwide who are Black, underscoring both her personal success and the broader diversity gap within the engineering field.
Jayla revealed that throughout her academic journey, she often found herself as the only woman or the only person of color in many professional and academic spaces.
“I have been the ONLY person of color in the room, the ONLY woman in the classroom, and had to advocate for myself when no one else would,” she said, adding that her success was made possible through hard work and the unwavering support of her family.
She also credited the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) for playing a critical role in her success, both through mentorship and financial support, including $25,000 in scholarships that helped fund her education.
Jayla’s resume reflects an exceptional blend of academic excellence, leadership, and industry experience.
She participated in prestigious programs, including the Stanford University SERGE Program and Harvard University’s SVMP Program, while also completing her fifth internship at Columbia University, where she conducted research in Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering.
Her industry experience includes internships at Northrop Grumman as an Electronics Engineer, Toyota as a Production Engineer, and two separate engineering internships at GE Appliances, focusing on Product Service & Materials and Supply Chain Quality Engineering.
Beyond internships, Jayla held numerous leadership and service roles on campus. She worked as a Career Peer in the College of Engineering Career & Co-op Center, served as both a Resident Advisor and a Senior Resident Advisor.
Jayla held multiple leadership roles within the National Society of Black Engineers UK Chapter, including President, Vice President, Parliamentarian, and Senator.
Her academic contributions include undergraduate research roles in both Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science, earning the 2022 Lyman T. Johnson Torch Bearer Award on behalf of the College of Engineering, and serving as Communications Co-Chair of Omicron Delta Kappa.
She also worked as Lead College of Engineering Ambassador and Vice President of Lewis Hall Council, while receiving several scholarships, including the Women Leading Kentucky Engineering Scholarship, William C. Parker Scholarship, and multiple academic and leadership awards.
Following her undergraduate success, Jayla secured a full-time role at ExxonMobil, one of the world’s leading engineering and energy companies.
Looking back, Jayla expressed deep gratitude to her parents, family, mentors, and supporters who helped her through every stage of her journey.
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