By Neil Nachbar

When Sarah Koenig was asked to host two episodes of a podcast featuring female engineers who came to the United States as international students from Asia, she jumped at the opportunity.

Koenig, who earned bachelor degrees in industrial engineering and French in 2007 through the University of Rhode Island’s International Engineering Program, didn’t grow up in the Asian-American community, but has connected with the community as an adult.

“I was adopted by a white American family,” said Koenig. “When the Society of Women Engineers launched the Asian Connections Affinity Group, I immediately joined. It has led to many great friendships.”

In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the Asian Connections Affinity Group produced two episodes of SWE’s Diverse podcast titled, “When Asia Meets America.” Having previously moderated panel discussions for the group, Koenig was a logical choice to host the shows.

“I’m friends with the two people who conceived the topic of the episodes,” said Koenig. “I’m always happy to participate in initiatives that tell the Asian American and Pacific Islander story. Our culture is rich and varied, but has often been painted as a monolith in the United States. The discussions during the episodes reveal the differences in the guests’ experiences.”

Koenig was also eager to bring awareness to people who may have had different cultural experiences.

“This is a skill that I use every day at work,” said Koenig. “I was fortunate that I was prepared for cross-cultural work by participating in the French International Engineering Program, but many people are not afforded that type of opportunity. I hope the podcast will help foster empathy and understanding when working with people who came to the United States as international students.”

In Part 1 of When Asia Meets America, Koenig’s guests were Nora Lin and Dr. Vidya Chamundeswari Narasimhan, both of whom came to the United States as graduate students.

• Lin was born and raised in Taiwan. She worked in the defense industry in the United States for 35 years and retired from Northrop Grumman as a chief engineer in 2018.
• Chamundeswari Narasimhan is from Singapore. While in graduate school, she interned at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard. She leads the biomaterials engineering division at New Age Meats, based in California.

Koenig had three guests in Part 2 of When Asia Meets America: Marina D’souza, Vanessa Li and Dung (Dian) Nguyen. All three came to the United States as students during their teenage years.

• D’souza is a graduate student at the University of Colorado – Boulder working towards a master’s degree in environmental engineering. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering from Drexel University.
• Li came to the United States from Hong Kong. She earned a bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering and a Master of Business Administration. She works as a program manager at Novelis, a producer of aluminum products.
• Nguyen came to the United States from Vietnam for a cultural exchange program. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering. She works in the satellite communication industry at Viasat.

Because Koenig’s experience at URI was so meaningful, she supports the College of Engineering by serving on the advisory boards of the International Engineering Program and the Mechanical, Industrial & Systems Engineering Department.

Besides her academic achievements, Koenig was involved in many organizations at URI. She was the president of the student chapter of the Society of Women Engineers. She was also active in the Ballroom Dance Club, Ballroom Competition Team, Institute of Industrial Engineers, IEP House Council, French Club, Tau Beta Pi, Golden Key Honor Society, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and Pi Delta Phi.