Abigail Rose Miner

As Abigail Rose Miner, MM-A '24 Candidate, progressed in her career as an electrical engineer, she became increasingly aware of some of the gaps that still existed for women in STEM. She noticed the lack of women in leadership roles, specifically those that instilled a level of confidence in their teams that motivated them to do more. She then decided that to create a more supportive and collaborative environment for herself, her colleagues, and those to follow her, she needed to do the groundwork to make sure she would have the skills that would make her successful within a leadership role.

“Companies say that they want to increase the number of women in STEM fields, but it’s a bit more complicated than that. There’s still a little bit of stigma specifically for promoting women within technical roles and furthermore, there is a knowledge gap that many managers are struggling with when it comes to shifting away from the Old Boys’ Club mentality,” says Miner, Project Cost Controller at Hydro One.

“I reached a point in my career where I was starting to train interns, and it was no longer about just being a good engineer, but about creating good ones as well. This included helping others be good at their job and making sure they were emotionally and mentally supported in their workplace. I owed it to my future direct reports to make sure I have the proper training and qualifications to support them in the best way I can”

As she looked for ways to enhance her skills and contribute to her team, and company in a positive way, she came upon Ivey’s Master of Management in Analytics Program. The program itself suggested immediate applicable skills, which combined with her technical background and work experience, created the combination she was looking for to confidently move forward in her professional career and effect positive change in those around her.

“This program has allowed me to look at things that have been surfacing in my work experience naturally, identifying and putting a name to them, and then having the skills to now analyze what kind of impact they are having to our work and our teams at large,” she says.

“As we learn new skills within the program, I find myself defining and refining my deliverables at work and trying to make everything even just a little bit better. I am immediately taking what I'm learning to see how something at work could have been made easier, or how I can do something better next time.”

The structure of the MM-A, which allows her to continue working as she studies, was also a big selling point for Miner, who got her current job at Hydro One just as the program was getting underway.

Additionally, since the MM-A program is tailored toward technical positions in analytics, she feels it’s drawn in people with similar interest and work styles, which has led to a very collaborative and supportive class environment.

“We all come from different professional backgrounds and industries, however, we have the same open mindset where we’re trying to hear different opinions and understand how we come to different conclusions,” she says.

“The personalities that are in our program are very open and very kind. I can easily see everyone in my class being people managers, technical experts, C-suite or director-level people who inspire each other to do good work. That’s the kind of tone everyone is already setting.”

The group work involved in the MM-A has also helped Miner and her classmates learn different ways to communicate effectively, trust their teammates, and be honest about what their strengths and weaknesses are.

“When I went into this program, I knew that the majority of the courses aligned with the skills I was lacking at the time, and I kept an open mind for the rest. I simply went into this program with the hope to be a little bit better of a version of myself leaving than when I got here,” she says.

“One term in, my mindset and the way I approach things are already very different, and I think the MM-A program is truly setting me up for success. From the way I’m able to communicate more effectively with my team any goals of a project or my anticipated career path with my manager is very useful and will be impactful to my overall career progression. Taking the step of bettering myself by going through this program shows initiative to those around me as I’m investing in my future and the future of my team. This has already started to open more doors for me within my field, and I am excited to see what other opportunities present themselves as I continue through the program all the way through to graduation.”