Meet Three Engineers Driving Change at Xos
Caroline (L) and Alejandra (R)
Xos is made up of many different people from different walks of life, all with their own unique stories as to how they got to where they are today. The diversity of experiences and backgrounds is what makes Xos the special place that it is. Today we’re excited to share the stories of three of our engineers: Alejandra, Caroline, and Mary. We’re grateful for these three talented engineers who are helping drive change here at Xos.
What is your role at Xos?
Caroline: I’m a mechanical engineer on the chassis team, and my main responsibility is making sure that the bodies get put on our chassis as seamlessly as possible. This includes our stepvans, armored vehicles, and products we have in development. In addition to this, I design prototypes for our trucks, document Federal Motor Vehicles Safety Standards compliance, and speck components for our production prototype vehicles.
Mary: I'm the controls engineer for our battery manufacturing team. I manage all of the automations for the prototype engineers here in Los Angeles, and manage our Tennessee location as well. Not long ago, I was the one and only controls engineer at Xos, and now we’re a team of three.
Alejandra: My position is lead cab and body engineer, and I am responsible for the structural design of the cab. I manage parts from initial design, to the prototype phase, to the production phase, and work in a multi-disciplinary design environment to drive impact across all levels.
Alejandra at the end of a Spartan race
Can you tell us about your background and experience?
Caroline: I recently graduated from UCLA where I studied mechanical engineering, and I’ve been at Xos ever since! While in college, I interned at Northop Grumman and worked on their FA18 program. What really sold me on working in the EV industry was joining the super mileage club at UCLA. It’s a student team that designs, builds, and competes with an electric vehicle optimized for efficiency. I also got to be their designated driver, which was cool.
Mary: I was originally a pre-law student in college and interned for a senator because I have a huge passion for politics and justice. After a while, I realized there wasn’t much effective change I could do in politics, so I ended up switching over to chemical engineering because I enjoyed my science classes.
Prior to joining Xos, I interned at a water recycling plant, integrating controls in the pharmaceutical industry. After working in the pharmaceutical industry for many years, I realized it’s not where I wanted to end up, and I had interest in working in the renewable sustainability industry. Shortly after I found Xos and saw so much potential in their goals and mission, so I decided to make the switch!
Alejandra: I'm originally from Mexico where I studied mechanical engineering. After finishing my bachelor’s degree, I joined GE Aviation, and worked for them for over 10 years. While at GE Aviation, I worked in several programs leading structural engineering designs. In recent years, I was responsible for performing structural analysis of the external hardware of the engines
What excites you most about the progression of women in tech?
Caroline: The most exciting thing to me is seeing the effect it has on younger generations of women. I think women now have more opportunities to get involved in tech and STEM, and young girls have more women to look up to. It’s a positive cycle!
Mary: These days, there’s more of a “let’s listen to everyone’s opinion” and “let’s listen to everyone’s voices” when it comes to women in tech and engineering. There’s much more compassion. Women tend to take on more responsibilities, so I appreciate when there are more women at the table to recognize when that happens.
Alejandra: Female engineers contribute to the future of so many fields, including medicine, construction, and transportation. Our future looks better with diversity and inclusiveness and we will achieve it with more female talent in the engineering field.
Caroline in a supermileage car that she helped design and build.
What is the most significant contribution you’ve made as an engineer?
Caroline: Solving all of the design issues that come up on the production floor in order to keep things moving along as smoothly as possible, and contributing to getting trucks out on the road.
Mary: I’ve launched and commissioned many projects in the past, but the most significant is my compassion and empathy skills toward people in the tech industry. There’s a huge lack of compassion and empathy in the tech industry. I remember a time where I was working on a project that hit a dead-end. I soon learned the team was burnt out and felt as though they weren’t being heard. After talking with both the team and management, I was able to bring the project to the finish line. It’s important to stop, listen to people, and be compassionate.
Alejandra: Being a part of the future and how the world shifts. Solving problems on a daily basis by developing electric vehicles that will positively impact our planet.
Mary on Mauna Kea in Hawaii
Who is your biggest role model in life?
Caroline: My mom — she has been a great support to me through everything and I can always depend on her. I owe her a lot of my success in my ability to stay organized. Second is my best friend, Ari. She is a boss in the finance industry which also has a similar gender gap to the tech industry. She inspires me everyday with her hard work.
Mary: I’m my own role model — I look up to myself. It took a lot to get to where I am right now, and the resilience that I’ve developed throughout my career and my personal life is really motivating. All of it has made me stronger and will continue to.
Alejandra: My role models are my parents and my husband. They are my pillars of strength, support all my dreams, and help me to achieve them. They remind me to believe in myself when I forget to.
What does a typical Saturday look like for you/hobbies?
Caroline: You can find me going on a hike, going to the beach, reading, and traveling. This past weekend I went snowboarding in Colorado!
Mary: For the past couple of months, my Saturdays have consisted of snowboarding. Now that it’s getting warmer, I’ll switch over to surfing. I love to cook, paint, and sometimes I’ll spend hours gardening.
Alejandra: I love hiking and being outdoors. My favorite hobby is competing in Spartan races, and recently, when I was living in Mexico, I completed three races in one year and I was awarded with the Spartan trifecta medal. This year I want to complete at least one race–my first race in the United States!
