Rising Star Award Winner 2024: Manufacturing

Jessica Polkinghorn
Senior Manager
Apple Inc.
Cupertino, California

EXPERIENCE

Jessica Polkinghorn began her career developing work processes at Hutchinson Technology Inc. in Minnesota. She went on to become a manufacturing engineer at Graco in her home state of South Dakota, before joining Apple in 2013. Currently she lives in San Jose with her husband and two children.

What’s the most exciting part of your work?

I love my career because I’m passionate about making things, and it’s such a privilege to have contributed to products that are seen and felt by a wide audience. And the icing on the cake is being able to do that with people who are just as passionate as you!

What is one major challenge you’ve faced in your career and how did you overcome it?

Early in my career I had to overcome self-doubt and feelings of impostor syndrome. What got me out of that space was leaning into my engineering principals and relying on my own internal compass, even if that meant failing. Working on my own problem-solving methods and iterating on perceived failure helped strengthen my resolve as well as reaching out and collaborating with others.

What advice do you have for young women engineers aspiring to be leaders?

With all new engineers I advise them to be curious, ask questions, and lean into your engineering fundamentals. Find and create methods that work for you, it’s OK to emulate others until you find your own ways, but being your most effective and collaborating and leading others begins with you doing your best work.

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