SciGirls Role Models: Rachel Gitajn, Bicycle Engineer

Rachel Gitajn turned her love for art, engineering and the outdoors into a dream job designing bikes that she loves to ride. Rachel is a Design Engineer for Quality Bicycle Products, and actually moved to Minnesota – with its many bike trails – to pursue her career. She develops products that are eventually manufactured, mainly focusing on the 3D design for bike frames.

Rachel loves being a problem-solver in order to make something that is functional for people to actually use and feel safe on. Although she pursued a degree in STEM, her journey to a STEM career actually started with art. This is a perfect example of how art and STEM work together. Not only does Rachel love design, she also loves the art of music and is a DJ for a local radio station. Whether on the airwaves or the bike trail, Rachel puts passion in to her work. Bikes are an environmentally beneficial form of transportation, but Rachel also loves how they can make people feel free and independent while enjoying the outdoors and the world around them. Her job allows her to travel to different countries to see how bikes are manufactured, but she also enjoys being an active member in her neighborhood. Giving back to the Minnesota community, she helps repair bikes for children who are not able to afford their own bikes.

Want to keep the inspiration flowing? Check out additional profiles of Minnesota women in STEM careers.

SciGirls is TPT’s National Science Foundation-funded program that engages girls (and boys!), families and educators nationwide around science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM. By combining an Emmy Award-winning PBS series, multiple websites, hands-on activities and professional development workshops, SciGirls reaches millions on-the-air, online and in communities, inspiring the next generation of STEM superstars.