Engineering Equity and Building Belonging

Carmen Melissa Mercado didn’t grow up around engineers. Her parents, both of whom are first generation Puerto Rican and neither with a background in STEM, didn’t know much about the field, but they were determined to help her explore it. When her high school launched its first-ever engineering program, Mercado was hand-selected to join. From there, her mother began seeking every opportunity available. “If you show interest in something, we’re going to put you in everything,” Mercado remembered her saying.

One of those opportunities was Drexel’s now-retired Mentorship program, which allowed high school students to live on campus and conduct summer research with faculty. Mercado worked with a civil engineering professor on a project researching tension, compression and potential points of failure on the Burlington-Bristol Bridge. “That program solidified my path,” she said. “I already had interest, but that summer gave me purpose.”

When it came time for college, Drexel was a natural fit. She majored in mechanical engineering and quickly immersed herself in the university’s fast-paced quarter system. But finding community took longer. For the first two years, Mercado focused on surviving academically while playing club soccer and navigating college life. A study abroad student exchange experience in Spain—one she initiated herself by working with the Office of Global Engagement—became a turning point. “There was no program to go to Spain for engineering, so I built it,” she said. “It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”

When she returned, she was eager to reconnect with her culture and found that SHPE—the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers—was inactive at Drexel. Determined to change that, she helped restart the chapter alongside other students and alumni. “It was the perfect culmination of who I was becoming. I had been the only one in the room so many times. SHPE gave us a space where we didn’t have to explain ourselves.”

Her advocacy didn’t stop there. She forged strong relationships with College of Engineering leadership and often served as a conduit between students and administration. “We figured out the resources (funding) existed—we just had to ask,” she said. That relationship helped fund SHPE travel to national conferences, recruit students from underrepresented backgrounds, and even brought new voices to campus events. It also led to Mercado being selected as the College’s student commencement speaker in 2016.

After graduation, Mercado took a job in the defense industry in Massachusetts, then later transitioned to tech. Now a product manager at Comcast in Philadelphia, she works on the company’s Internet Measurement Platform, helping shape the speed test tools millions of users rely on. “Comcast has been a great place to grow. It’s collaborative, innovative, and people here are incredibly intelligent,” she said.

She also returned to Drexel in a new role—serving on the College of Engineering’s IDEAA board (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Advocacy Advancement), where she helps guide DEI strategy and student support. “Representation still matters. Engineering hasn’t changed demographically as much as we hoped, and students need to see that there’s a place for them here.”

For Mercado, equity in STEM isn’t just about numbers or visibility—it’s about perspective. “Diversity isn’t just what you can see. It’s every lived experience that shapes how we solve problems,” she said. “The best ideas come from people who think differently.”

This October, Mercado will co-chair the national SHPE conference when it comes to Philadelphia—bringing her full circle to the organization that helped shape her. Her advice to students is grounded in both challenge and optimism: “Take the big risk. Move somewhere new. Do something that scares you. That’s how you grow.”

For Mercado, growth isn’t just a personal goal—it’s a community mission.