Miss Black Ohio USA 2013

 

Brooke Antoine

Miss Black Ohio USA 2013

 

Life is a Balancing Act

Life has always been a balancing act and a melting pot of experiences for Brooke Antoine. She was born in Sulphur, Louisiana. At just 2weeks old she moved to her parents’ residence in Georgia! This was the beginning of a long list of moves for Brooke that included Wisconsin, Louisiana, Georgia and Ohio twice! Living in a variety of states has made Brooke more accepting of diversity and cultural differences. It also taught her the importance of accepting change and finding balance in life while adjusting to new schools, making new friends and participating in extra-curricular activities such as: Piano, gymnastics, cheerleading, and most importantly getting good grades.

Growing up, her parents stressed the importance of doing well in her classes, especially math and science. She was first exposed to Procter & Gamble and the engineering fields at a young age when her father took her to the Tide Plant for “Take Your Daughter to Work Day.” This is where she became fascinated with manufacturing processes.

After completing high school, Brooke applied to the University of Cincinnati because of their prestigious co-op program. Upon acceptance, she decided to follow in her father’s footsteps and pursue a degree in Chemical Engineering. It was during her participation in the Emerging Ethnic Engineering (E3) Program that she realized that there are very few African American females in science related fields.

She survived the challenge to eventually become the only African American female in the Chemical Engineering Class of 2012. Throughout college, she encouraged more minority females to pursue degrees in science related fields by being a mentor for students in the E3 program, tutoring students at Greater New Hope Baptist Church, through her continuous leadership in the National Society of Black Engineers, volunteering at Engineer for a Day events, and her participation in the Miss Black Ohio USA 2012 and 2013 scholarship competitions. For Brooke, her desire to increase the number of minority females pursuing degrees in the STEM fields is not simply a platform for a competition, but a personal goal she has been working towards for many years. 

Outside of working hard in her engineering classes and volunteering in the community, Brooke also served as the Vice President of Internal Affairs for ADVANCE, an organization that prepares minorities for the professional world, completed 6 co-ops at Procter and Gamble, and still found time to have a social life! Little did she know that she was defeating the stereotype of the “introverted engineer” who has little time for anything besides excelling in her studies.

Brooke graduated on June 8, 2012 with her Bachelors of Science in Chemical Engineering. Her success and leadership on co-ops within the community and at the University of Cincinnati helped her to turn her dream of working at P&G into a reality. She currently works at the Procter & Gamble in Mason, Ohio as the Technical Engineer for Dental Floss. She lives by the quote “A candle doesn’t lose anything by lighting another” and she hopes to continue to inspire more minority females to follow in her footsteps and to achieve their dreams as she has.