Engineering a Bright Future with Cummins
If you've ever used a manual to assemble furniture or fix an appliance, you know how critical, clear and concise instructions can be. As a Service Diagnostics Engineer, Katherine writes troubleshooting manuals and wiring diagrams for high-horsepower Cummins Inc. engines and other products. With simple, straightforward instructions, she aims to make engine troubleshooting as simple as putting together a nightstand.
"It's just explaining concepts," she says. "How does this product work on paper? And how does it work in the field? What are some of the challenges?"
Katherine says she's learned the best way to solve an issue for a technician might not be the best solution for a customer, "We want to make sure our customers are our top priority. So how do we minimize the downtime for them? How do we ensure that we are not intruding and taking the full engine apart just to replace a single component?"
In addition to answering these kinds of questions with STEM solutions, Katherine loves making human connections.
"I always wanted a career where I could interact and collaborate with teams to think through solutions while applying that engineering mindset," she says. "Working with groups of people with different backgrounds who brainstorm and approach problems differently is one of my favorite things."
"The big thing that attracted me to Cummins, though, are the values," she says. "When I was going through all these [recruiting] conferences and talking to companies, there was always something different at the Cummins booth. I didn't feel like another number. I know it sounds cliché, but people at Cummins seemed genuinely interested, not only in my experience but also in my motivations and values."
The way Cummins gives back to the community was also a draw for Katherine. She loves initiatives like Cummins Powers Women, which invests in education scholarships for women, and the company's involvement with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), which she joined in college.
"They care for the customer but also for the community. All the other companies had values that seemed amazing on paper, but I could see that those values were actually applied to action at Cummins," she says. "I wanted to work in a company with amazing technology and great opportunities to grow, but also where I feel I can make a change. They encourage me to do that."
Katherine appreciates that Cummins fosters space for anything employees might be interested in, from mentorships to volunteering. She is involved with the Latino employee resource group (ERG) at Cummins, which allows her to combine her passions for STEM and people and honor her Venezuelan heritage.
The company’s commitment to recruiting at conferences for diverse communities — from SHPE and the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) to the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and OUT for Undergrad (O4U), an LGBTQ+ engineering conference — also impressed her.
"Cummins has also been recruiting neurodivergent talent and training managers who coach teams with neurodivergent members to foster collaboration to ensure everyone is gaining the most out of their experience. I think that initiative is one of the coolest things," Katherine says.
She applauds training that focuses on, for example, the intersectionality of how it feels to be a woman of color in engineering and the biases people have regarding different backgrounds.
"We have difficult conversations and make sure that we are not only embracing but celebrating the beauty of diversity in business," she says. "Diversity of backgrounds makes a company rich because you get incredible interactions and the benefit of all those unique experiences and perspectives, which are invaluable when it comes to idea generation."
As Katherine pursues a master’s degree in engineering management — with tuition reimbursement from Cummins — she is excited to be at the beginning of her career as opportunities in new power technology and the AI spaces are taking shape.
“I can't wait to lead teams and steer change in the industry,” she says.
There may not be a step-by-step manual for how to win in business by staying true to your values, but if one is ever needed, Katherine is the perfect person to write it.
Cummins Inc.
Cummins, a global power technology leader, is a corporation of complementary business segments that design, manufacture, distribute and service a broad portfolio of power solutions. The company's products range from internal combustion, electric and hybrid integrated power solutions and components including filtration, aftertreatment, turbochargers, fuel systems, controls systems, air handling systems, automated transmissions, electric power generation systems, microgrid controls, batteries, electrolyzers and fuel cell products.
